


A Charming Friend

by MereMere22193



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Child Abuse, F/M, Friendship, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Language, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Season/Series 02 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-22
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-26 10:12:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MereMere22193/pseuds/MereMere22193
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jefferson is reunited with his daughter, their life takes a turn for the weird (well, weirder) when Henry decides that the, possibly no longer Mad, Hatter needs more friends and a social life, and drags David along for the ride. Grace supports this plan whole-heartedly. Jefferson and David just grin and bear it. </p><p>Spoilers for Season 2, Eventual Mad Swan, and talk about past Jefferson/Mary Ann (from Alice in Wonderland)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Offered Ride

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TroubleTwin2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TroubleTwin2/gifts).



> I know the summary kind of sucks, but I couldn't think of anything better. This was for a prompt made by my friend on Tumblr. 
> 
> The Prompt:  
> Somebody totally needs to write a fic(s), in a totally serious non crack!fic type of way, were Jefferson and Charming are best bros. After they work through the whole kidnapping wife and daughter thing of course. Even better if Jefferson and Emma work through their issues and then start seriously going out. **Edit: I can imagine the awkwardness now, Emma’s father and boyfriend being best bros and hanging out because they want to not because Emma and Jeff are dating.** Because I think Jefferson totally needs a bestie to help him out with his bouts of insanity….plus he just needs a guy friend….because most of the people he spends time with are of the female persuasion. Emma, Grace, Ruby, and Belle.

            Holding Grace in his arms was something that he thought he would never have again. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to have her little arms wrapped around his neck, and to feel her warmth and the beating of her heart matching his own. It was like he could breathe again, after so many years of drowning in darkness. 28 years in this godforsaken town, his mind split in to two as his two lives competed for dominance, being able to see his Grace, but knowing that he couldn't touch her because here; here she wasn't his daughter, she wasn't his Grace. And he doesn't even remember how many years he spent in that Hell on Earth known as Wonderland. But it didn't matter anymore, because he was here and so was she, and they both remembered, and he could once again hold his little girl. He wasn't going to let her go ever again. He wouldn't be able to take it.

            "I missed you Papa," she whispered in to his ear as he carried her, her legs dangling. "I missed you so much."

            "I missed you too sweetheart, more than anything. I'm so sorry for leaving you alone," he whispered back, his voice breaking as tears slid down his cheeks. "I never wanted to leave you so alone. I-"

            "It's okay Papa," she said, cutting him off. "I understand." she said as she pulled back to look at him.

            "You do?" he asked surprised. He stopped walking to look at his daughter. And she looked back, her big brown eyes, her mother's eyes, staring into his blue. Before he could ask her what she meant, a car horn blared right next to them. It startled him so badly he nearly dropped her. Tightening his grip around her body, he turned to look at the source of the noise. And staring back at him from inside Emma Swan's little yellow car was Henry Mills and Prince Charming. And Henry's hand was firmly on the car horn, even as his face was turned towards them with an ear-splitting grin plastered across it. Charming, on the other hand was stuck somewhere between withering and sheepish as he looked at his grandson. The sheepish smile won out as Henry's hand left the horn and he turned to face them fully. Jefferson felt Grace shift as she tried to get a look at who had honked at them. Instead, Jefferson gently placed her on her feet, in order to prevent dropping her as she squirmed in his arms. As soon as her feet were firmly on the ground, Grace wrapped her arms around his waist, refusing to let go. Jefferson just wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked back up. "What can we do for you Your Highness?" he asked casually, hoping it wasn't too obvious that he had just been crying. The prince, and it was still lost to Jefferson why the man had never become king, was looking at him thoughtfully, and it made the portal-jumper twitch.

            "Please call me David, Jefferson," the prince, no _David_ began. "And I'm sorry that we startled you. _Henry_ doesn't seem to grasp the concept of privacy and not startling people when they are carrying small children." The boy just grinned as his grandfather looked at him with amused resignation.

            "It's alright, Your Highness-David," Jefferson returned, smiling slightly at their interaction. It was obvious to anyone, that even after only a few days of knowing he was a grandfather, the prince loved his grandson dearly, and Henry was obviously just as attached. It was a good thing; the boy needed someone, what with his mother being lost in the Enchanted Forest and all. Jefferson's smile dropped at the thought of the beautiful and headstrong Sheriff; he actually liked Emma and hoped she was alright. Knowing her though, she had probably adjusted quickly, even with her annoying habit of only thinking practically and rationally instead of magically and imaginatively. He just wished there was something he could do to help. He shook his head and looked up to find both Henry and David staring at him. "Sorry about that," he said, recovering quickly. "I just got lost in my thoughts. What was it you needed?" he asked again as he tightened his grip on Grace.

            "Henry insisted that I pull over when we saw you walking." David explained, Jefferson just raised an eyebrow and waited for the rest.

            "We were going to ask if you guys needed a ride!" Henry exclaimed, quickly taking up the thread. "You live way out in the woods right?" Jefferson looked down at Grace and smiled.

            "That would be nice Henry, thank you. But first, I have to take Grace to her Storybrooke home. I need to talk to her Curse parents before taking her home with me." Jefferson explained. Grace looked up at him quickly and smiled her brightest smile.

            "We could give you a ride anyway," David said quickly, he flushed when Jefferson's eyebrows went up. "You and I need to talk anyway, and I thought it might help if I was there to smooth things over when you talk to her Curse parents. And besides, I'm sure you could use an extra pair of hands for packing up her stuff."

            Jefferson pondered this. They did need to talk, and not just about what happened the other day. No matter how much he didn't want to talk about what happened between him, Emma, and Mary Margaret, it was better if David knew now instead of finding out later. Lying to and keeping information about his wife and daughter from Prince Charming, Acting Sheriff, was not a good idea and a very bad way to start a new acquaintanceship.

            "It's alright with me Sheriff. Grace? Is that okay with you?" He asked his daughter. She looked up at him and nodded.

            "It's okay Papa! Mr. and Mrs. Muffet know that I've been looking for you so everything should be great!" She exclaimed brightly, throwing one arm out for emphasis. It made Jefferson smile a little; she was just as dramatic as she'd always been. It was arguable just who she got it from, him or her mother.

            "That settles it then!" Henry said happily, bouncing in his seat. "Hop in!"

            Jefferson smiled at the energetic boy and opened the door to the back seat, ushering Grace inside. He raised an eyebrow at the wooden swords and looked at the prince and his grandson.

            "Learning swordsmanship already Henry?" he asked with amusement.

            "Yeah!" the boy said brightly. "Grandpa bought them so he could start teaching me how to be a prince, because all the best princes are good swordsman!"

            "Well, I can't exactly argue with that statement," Jefferson said as he settled in and David started the car, "I haven't met enough princes to say whether that's true or not."

            "Do you know how to use a sword Jefferson?" the little boy asked with wide eyes.

            "A little bit Henry, enough to protect myself, but I don't think I could take your grandfather in a real fight."

            "We might have to test that theory," David chuckled as he pulled away from the curb. "Now Grace, where exactly am I going?"

            "Number 8, Druary Lane." she said promptly. Jefferson stifled a laugh when Henry whipped around to stare at her.

            "Do you live with the Muffin Man?" He asked excitedly.

            Jefferson could no longer hold in his laughter when his daughter merely raised an eyebrow at the boy, something she had most definitely picked up from him, and slowly explained that no, the Muffin Man was not her Curse father; he lived next door. It was so good to have his little girl back.


	2. A History Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson had thought he had left his past behind him, but it seems his past isn't ready to let go of him yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Note:  
> Pforte is German for gateway or gate
> 
> And yes, I am well aware that Jefferson is the Mad Hatter who is a British storybook character, I have read the books at least twice. I chose a German name because for some reason I feel it fits Jefferson's character. And you know what? The name does fit...even if I did choose a word that is a synonym of portal.

 

            The car was silent for about ten minutes. Jefferson was surprised that it had lasted that long, because even from the backseat, he could see that Henry was practically vibrating with the need to ask questions.

            "So Jefferson, can you really not get the hat to work again?" Henry asked, turning to face the back seat with a pleading look.

            "Henry! Now's not the time to ask that!" David snapped out as he turned down another street.

            "What? I'm just asking!" Henry said unrepentantly, as he continued to stare at Jefferson. Jefferson just let out a chuckle.

            "It's alright David. I'm actually surprised that it took him this long to ask!" Jefferson said teasingly as he smiled at the young boy. He appreciated the bluntness, a bluntness that was very reminiscent of the kid's mother, because it meant that he could put an end to all hope that the hat would ever work again, no matter how much that hurt him and those around him.            

            "So? Can you get it to work?" Henry asked again, undeterred by his grandfather's scolding and Jefferson's teasing. At that Jefferson's smile disappeared. This was not going to be a fun conversation. He didn't want to hurt the boy or crush his hopes, but he needed Henry to understand that the hat wasn't something he could set his hopes on.

            "I'm sorry Henry, I wish I could, but I can't. It's impossible." Jefferson said shaking his head.

            "But why not?" Henry exclaimed in disbelief. "You're a hatter! Didn't you make your hat? Can't you use magic to make it work?"

            "No Henry, I'm sorry," Jefferson said with a sigh. "It's true that I am a hatter, and I do have some magic, but it's used to activate the hat. And no, I didn't make my hat, nor can I make a new one, and God knows I've tried."

            "You didn't make the hat?" David asked in curiosity, glancing at the former portal-jumper through the rear view mirror. "Then who did?"

            It shouldn't have surprised Jefferson about the interest both David and Henry showed in the creation and workings of his hat, but it still did. No one had shown such fascination for the old thing since his wife, but then again, she had always been curious. And Henry reminded him of himself at that age, and it made him think back to the first day that his father began teaching him about the hat. He could even here his father's voice, calling for him.

            "Jefferson?" that was David, wasn't it? But it didn't sound like the prince.

            _"Jefferson."_

That was his father, the strong baritone ringing in his ears like a bell, muffling all other sound. But the sound was so comforting that he didn't even notice that there was anything wrong with the fact that he was supposed to be in Emma Swan' s old yellow Bug, not staring down the hallway of his childhood home.

            A muffled and distant "Papa?!" was the last thing he heard, but was that his voice calling? Or someone else's...           

 

            _...He was standing in the hallway listening for his father's answer._

            _"Jefferson! In here! Come here son!"_

_"Coming Papa!" he answered, and then he was running towards the sound. He found his father in the large stone room that sat in the middle of their home. It was a room that only family was allowed to enter, hidden behind a deceptively simple wooden door. The door could only be opened by a certain kind of magic, the magic of their family, the magic of the Pfortes. It wasn't a lot of magic, but it was a special kind of magic, it allowed the Pfortes of the past to make a portal to other lands out of a hat, and it was only with Pforte magic that a stable portal could be successfully opened. A hand placed in the center of the door would open it to any Pforte who wished to enter, but only the living could do so. A severed hand would only lead to the wielder to being blasted away by the protective magic of these sanctuaries, just like any other who was not a Pforte by blood or marriage. Jefferson had entered this room to find his father standing in the very center, holding their family's most precious possession, the Hat. "Papa! Are you going to teach me how to use the hat?" Young Jefferson cried out in excitement._

_"Yes my boy," his father answered with a chuckle. "Today I teach you about the hat and its making and how it is used," Young Jefferson smiled in delight; he had been waiting for this moment for years! And now, at 10 years old, he was finally ready! Then his father started to speak again. "Tell me Jefferson, do you know the history of our family?"_

_"The Pfortes are a family that goes back generations, right? We go all the way back to before the First Ogre War, right?" Jefferson guessed._

_"That's right son, you come from an ancient legacy of portal-jumpers," his father explained as he placed the Hat on the floor. "This hat is the culmination of generations of Pforte hat makers, the keepers of the ancient spells that were used to weave together the portal of doors, the gateway to many lands. This is the last Pforte hat."_

_"The last hat? But, isn't our family huge? What about all the others? And can't we make more?" Jefferson asked with confusion._

_"Our family was once very large, yes. But unfortunately I was my father's only child, and all my cousins and their families were wiped out years before you were born, and with them, the magic of the hats and the hats themselves. We are the last of the Pforte line." His Papa explained sadly. Jefferson looked at his father in shock._

_"But can we make more? More hats?" he asked pleadingly, and just watched in despair as his father shook his head._

_"No Jefferson, we cannot make any more portals of doors. The Pfortes shall always be hat makers, but no longer of the magical kind. The spells were lost generations ago when your great-great grandfather died before he could pass the secrets on to his children, and many of his own siblings and cousins were already dead or content to leave the magic to him as the family's patriarch."_

_"But what will happen if our Hat ever breaks?" Jefferson asked with trepidation._

_"Then the Pfortes will just become simple hat makers instead of portal jumping hat makers," Papa Pforte said with a sad finality. The old man shook himself and his blue eyes met his son's matching ones. "Now child, it's time you learned how to use this hat. All you do is use a little Pforte magic, and feel for the doorway, and just like the door to this room you place your hands on the brim, and then give the hat a little spin." And with that, the last Pforte patriarch flicked his wrists and sent the last Pforte Hat spinning and spinning as the portal opened. And Jefferson watched it spin, and it just kept spinning and spinning until it engulfed him..._

 

            "Jefferson!"

            "Papa!"

            "Jefferson! Hey, snap out of it!"

            "Papa wake up!"

            "Come on Jeff, you got come back! Jeff! Hey Jeff! Jeff!"

            There were voices calling him. Voices from his present, not his past, and one in particular was causing him some irritation.

            "Do _not_ call me Jeff." Jefferson muttered as he slowly opened his eyes. The car was stopped outside the house Grace had been living at as Paige. And there were three pairs of eyes staring at him. And hands on his shoulders, he noticed blithely as the pressure he hadn't noticed was removed. He turned his face to see what had caused the pressure in the first place, and found the car door open and David standing there arm still outstretched, concern practically etched into the lines in face. On his other side he could feel Grace, her little arms wrapped around his tightly, glancing back at her, he could see fear and what would have been desperation on someone at least 10 years her senior. Hearing movement from the front seat, Jefferson looked up to see Henry staring at him with a mix of fear and distress. The combined weight of their worry sent a chill trailing down his spine, making him shudder with distress of his own. He couldn't remember the last time he had a flashback like that. He brought his free arm up and rubbed his face with his hand, letting out a sigh as he did so.

            "Jefferson," David said, calling his name again. This time Jefferson felt it when the other man put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, as if he was trying to ground Jefferson. And it was working, seeing as how there was no longer a purple vortex of air and magic spinning behind his eyelids. "Are you alright? What was that?" David asked, concern still evident in his voice. Jefferson removed his hand and sighed again, before turning to look at the other man.

            "I'm alright, it was nothing." Jefferson said casually, trying to brush off the incident.

            "That was not nothing, not when you suddenly stop talking in the middle of a conversation to stare blankly into space. Jefferson, what's going on?" David practically growled. Jefferson couldn't argue when he saw the genuine concern in the prince's eyes, but he didn't want to talk about this now.

            "It's a problem that I thought I had gotten past, but I don't want to discuss this here; it's a little too public for my comfort," Jefferson said with a sigh, deciding that it would be best for his sanity to put off this conversation until later, when he's had time to rearrange his head. Seeing David's frown, he sighed again, this time in exasperation. "We can talk about it later, but for now, let's just go inside and get my daughter's stuff," David backed off at that, the frown still firmly in place. Jefferson glanced at the children and saw the concern and fear still contorting their features. "Your faces will stick like that if you're not careful," he told them, and glancing back at David, continued. "That goes for you too." Such expressions had no place on a child's face, and they didn't suit the acting sheriff any better.

            Catching the meaning behind Jefferson's look, David just sighed. The other man was right, this was not the time or place to have the discussion they needed to have, and they still needed to go inside and get things settled with Grace's Curse parents, for while Jefferson's rights as her biological father won out over the rights of the parents she had been given to during the Curse, it was just best to make sure Jefferson didn't ruffle any feathers. The man wasn't well known in Storybrooke and very few had heard of him back in the Enchanted Forest, and not all of what was known about him in either world was the most comforting to any parent, cursed or not. David looked back at the children and Jefferson, and almost let out a laugh when he saw the nearly identical expectant looks on their faces. There was no doubt about just who was Grace's father was with their faces side by side like that as Grace leaned over Jefferson's shoulder, and if he didn't know any better, he'd think Henry was actually Jefferson's son. Shaking his head at the thought, David decided that they'd been out here long enough.

            "Alright guys," he began. "Let's get this over with." And not waiting, he turned towards the house and started walking up the driveway, trying very hard to ignore the bad feeling that had arisen in his gut.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last thing:  
> For those of you who are completely caught up on season 2 or who have at least seen 'Queen of Hearts', I am well aware that Regina was successfully able to use the hat in the previously named episode. Everything will be explained at a later date. But for now, just let your imagination run wild.


	3. An Angry Goose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace's Curse mother is not who many expected her to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm putting down a warning to readers who are sensitive to foul language. While some of you might find said foul language tame, there are those who are very sensitive to both the words and the context they are used in. 
> 
> This is also a trigger warning for talk of past physical child abuse and implied emotional child abuse
> 
> Let's just say, this chapter turned out a lot darker than I had originally intended.

The house was nice, David noted as he started up the steps to the large front porch with its little swing. He hadn't noticed when they had first pulled up, more worried about Jefferson's well being than the state of the flower beds, but the house seemed to give off an aura almost. It almost reminded him of the little house that he had once shared with his mother all those years ago. It was like an echo almost, and it did not make the knot in his stomach loosen as he stared at the door. He had a very bad feeling that he knew exactly who Grace's Curse mother was. Glancing behind him, David saw that the others had finally caught up and were standing behind him on the porch. Turning around to face them fully, David then crouched down so that he was eye level with Grace. He almost smiled when she raised an eyebrow at him in expectation, she was definitely her father's daughter, but the look of what would one day be scorn was ruined by the intense and puzzled curiosity in her eyes, as if she was trying to figure out a puzzle. He wouldn't admit it, but that curiosity unnerved some small part of him, and he didn't know why. Shaking off his troubled thoughts, David looked the little girl in the eye and she stared back confused.

            "Grace," he began seriously, and watched as she straightened at the tone of authority. Jefferson placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. "I need to ask you a very serious question, and you need to answer me honestly, okay?" he asked, and waited as the little girl glanced at her father for guidance. At his nod, Grace turned back to David and nodded in confirmation. "Okay, now this may seem like an odd question to you Grace, but who exactly are your Curse parents?" seeing her puzzlement, because she had given him their last names, he elaborated. "Who did they used to be, back in the Enchanted Forest?"

            Before Grace could respond, the door flew open behind them, and irate voice snapped out, "If you don't actually plan on knocking, would you kindly get off my porch." and David winced. He knew it. Before he could get up and turn around the voice called out again, "Paige Eleanor Muffet! Where have you been? I got a call from that Susie's mother you know. She said you never showed up for your play date! And what's worse! Mrs. Hill said she saw you go off with some strange man! What were you thinking?!" David winced again as the ranting continued. The woman's temperament had not improved since the last time he had seen her back in the Enchanted Forest. From his angle, David could didn't miss Grace's expression twist into a grimace, nor did he miss the fact that Jefferson's hand was trembling with rage. This was not going to end well. "...and just who are these other people?" the voice behind him asked with a contempt sniff. Looking out the corner of his eye, David could see Henry's expression of relief that the yelling had ended, but there was anger there as well. Yeah, this was going to be bad.

            "But Mrs. Muffet, you know Henry. He goes to school with me." Grace said in a demure voice that shocked David. In the very brief time that David had known the girl, he had never seen her act so meek, she was too much like her father and a curiosity like hers wasn't easily held back, but she wasn't acting. David hung his head, seems the old woman had made a real impression on the little girl.

            "Do not sass me young lady, you will address me as Mother, and of course I know Mr. Mills. Adopted son of that wretched woman. At least now that the Curse is over, she is no longer Mayor, her being the Evil Queen is bad enough, but a single woman, at her age! It was scandalous!" the old woman barked out, and David watched from the corner of his eye as Henry's face went red and his hands balled up into fists. "And what's worse! Not only did she adopt a child, instead of getting married and having one of her own, the child she adopted was born out of wedlock! And in prison! To that whore who is now our sheriff! What is this town coming to that we allow a criminal and modern day Lilith to be in such a position of power! Now answer me child, who are these men with you?" and that was the last straw. David whipped around so fast as he stood that he nearly gave himself whiplash. He could feel the fury boiling in his blood, and on a normal basis he would have curbed it, like he had done in the past when he had crossed paths with the woman, but this time she gone too far. Insulting him was one thing, insulting his family was another matter altogether, and he had seen far too many young ladies of the court influenced by her old-fashioned ways, he wasn't going to let her do it to Grace.

            "Madam! That 'whore' you just insulted is my daughter, so I would request that you would hold that barbed tongue of yours, and shut your beak before I shut it for you" David snapped out, staring the old woman down, his fury present in every word. The old woman shut her gaping mouth quickly and with an audible click. David looked at the woman, she looked much the same as she had 28 years ago, graying blonde hair, frown lines at the corners of her mouth and between her eyebrows, a pear shaped body covered by matronly clothing. She didn't look a day over 45, but appearances were deceiving. The woman had been almost 120 years old last time he had met her. Most of those years had been spent moving from kingdom to kingdom, teaching the daughters of nobles and royalty how to be "proper young ladies". Snow had once told him of how her father had banished the woman after she had struck her on the back of the knees with a willow branch. She had been a fixture in King George's court since then. "Now, as you must surely know me, even after so long, for I would hope your memory had not worsened after all these years, there is no idea for me to announce myself. I will however introduce my companion," David drawled in the most arrogant tone he could muster, all that time spent playing King George's son hadn't been a complete waste of his time. "This man is Jefferson," David said, gesturing to the other man who, now that David could actually see his face, looked extremely pale and wore a thunderous expression as he shook with rage. David glanced at him to see if he would offer a last name, but it seemed like his fury had sealed his mouth. "He is the father of the young lady _Grace_ ," David explained, emphasizing the girl's true name. "And he would also like to take his daughter home, I came with him to help him remove Grace's belongings, and to offer assurances, as well as smooth any ruffled feathers. But now that I know exactly who you are, I feel the later is unnecessary. Now, if you will please invite us in so we may pack the young ladies things, we will be out of your way as quickly as possible."

            The woman just stared at him in shock for a few moments, before what he had said registered with her brain, and the outrage and fury came crashing down. She opened her mouth and let out a small screech.

            "Now see here! That girl is under my care, and has been for the past 28 years of this Curse. While she is not my daughter by blood, she is _mine_. The Curse gave her to me, and I intend to keep her and shape her into a proper young lady that will set an example for the rest of her peers. I have spent too much time and energy trying to train the wildness out her to give up now. And now I see where that wildness comes from," the woman spat, glaring at Jefferson who had taken a step forward, only to be restrained by David. The woman turned to Grace and took a step towards her, but Henry darted out from his hiding place behind David and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind the wall that David and Jefferson had formed. The woman just sneered. "Even during the Curse I knew there was something off about her, she was always out in the woods, running about, acting like an animal, looking for mushrooms is what she would tell me, but never said why, she's touched in the head," she said with disdain, but Jefferson jerked back at that. Turning his head to glance at Grace in surprise, he saw her give him a happy if somewhat pained smile. She never liked it when people yelled at her. Jefferson let out a small smile of his own, even when she was under a curse, his darling girl would always try to help her Papa. He turned back as the woman continued to rant, her identity was a mystery to him, but David seemed to have a history with her. Jefferson's smile disappeared at her next words. "I knew there was something strange about her, and it's an unnatural strangeness. I can sense some of the same strangeness from you," she sneered pointing at Jefferson, "but it's those eyes of hers, there's an unnaturalness in them that must come from her whore of a mother since they don't come from you." At that, Jefferson saw red.  He lunged towards the old woman but was caught around the waist by David, and it took all the prince's strength to restrain the enraged man.

            "Jefferson, stop it!" David yelled as he held on to the struggling man. David risked a glance behind him and saw the children cowering, Grace wrapped in Henry's arms and her face buried in her neck. It would have been comical under other circumstances, considering that the girl was at least a head taller than his grandson, but now, now it just made the situation worse. He tightened his grip on the ex-portal jumper and tried again, "Jefferson! Calm down! You're scaring the children! You're scaring Grace!"

            That snapped him out of it, and Jefferson immediately stopped struggling. He slumped back against David, the other man's arms still securely wrapped around him in case he attacked again, as he caught his breath. He continued to glare at the old woman, who was pressed against the wall of her house, her mouth agape and making an odd squawking sound as she gasped for breath. Jefferson closed his eyes and took a calming breath and relaxed. He felt David tentatively loosen his grip, unsure whether or not the man known as the Mad Hatter would jump at the hag if he let go. Jefferson just reached up and patted the arm wrapped around his chest and said, "You can let go now, David. I'm fine."

            "Sure about that?" David asked warily.

            "I'm sure. Now will you let me go so I can make sure I haven't scarred my daughter for life?" He asked testily. David just chuckled a little hoarsely at that and let go.

            "Yeah, your good. Take care of the kids. I'll deal with her." David said glaring at the old woman who had straightened herself and was attempting to put herself back to rights. Jefferson nodded in acknowledgment and went to kneel in front of the two kids still cowering in each other's arms. Jefferson placed tentative hands on their backs, hoping to get their attention.

            "Henry. Grace, sweetheart. It's alright now, the yelling's over, everyone's okay. No one's going to hurt anyone," he whispered to them soothingly, as he slowly rubbed their backs. He could hear little sobbing gasps coming from his daughter, and they were both shaking. "It's alright guys, calm down. It's all okay. Grace, honey, look at Papa," that earned him a reaction and he watched as his daughter slowly raised her head to look at him and as Henry turned his head against her shoulder and opened his eyes. There were tears running down Grace's face, but Henry was dry-eyed, despite the fear in his eyes, and it registered distantly that they were hazel, just like Emma's. The thought of the blond woman made his heart clench a little. He didn't know if it was for his sake, Henry's, or a combination, but he hoped she came home soon. The boy needed his mother. Putting that thought away, he smiled a little at the kids and smoothed his hands over their heads. "That's it. Everything's fine now, I'm sorry if we, I, scared you, but you don't need to be scared anymore. It's all over," he said as calmly as he could, continuing to smooth his hands over their heads, as if he was soothing a pair of puffed up kittens. The thought brought a smile to his face and suddenly his daughter had her arms wrapped around his neck. He hugged her back and carefully stood up, turning to face David again now that children had calmed down. The other man was stone faced as he stared the woman down. And Jefferson realized that the man hadn't spoken a word since he had let Jefferson go. Jefferson cleared his throat noisily and said, "David, the kids are alright now."

            David looked back at him and nodded, before turning back to glare at the woman, who was staring back in terror. David took a deep breath, and then started to speak.

            "Dame Goose," he began, and Jefferson could feel Henry start wear the boy was pressed against his leg. "I've never liked you, and that was even before my wife Snow White told me the story about how when she was a child you had beaten her across the back of her knees with a switch made out of a willow branch. She still has the scars you know," he paused as the color drained from the woman's face even more. "Oh yes, she still remembers you. Why do you think you were never invited to any of the balls we held?" he asked and glared at the woman when she opened her mouth. "I didn't give you permission to speak. I have always found your methods reprehensible and barbaric, no wonder King George was the only man to let you into his court after King Leopold banished you," he glared again as the woman tried to speak. "Now, this was originally supposed to be a courteous visit, because while Jefferson is Grace's father, you and your husband have been watching over her for the past 28 years while we were under that curse, but that privilege was lost to you the moment you opened your lips to spew poison. Grace will be leaving here with her father, as soon as we have retrieved her things. You will stay out of our way or I will invoke my right as Acting Sheriff to put you under arrest for child endangerment. Am I clear?" Dame Goose nodded frantically. "Good. This shouldn't take too long. Jefferson? Kids? Let's go," David said, beckoning them over. As they walked into the house, David made sure to keep himself firmly between Jefferson and the old hag, keeping one arm around Henry's shoulder and a hand firmly on Jefferson's shoulder.

            As the grouped headed towards the main staircase, it was only David's hand on Jefferson's shoulder that kept the other from turning around to murder the woman as she shouted out, "She told me how you abandoned her you know! If you were just planning on leaving her behind like her whore mother, you should have just sold her off! It would have caused me less grief than having to deal with the little bitch!" David kept a tight grip on Jefferson's shoulder as he propelled them up the stairs, keeping one hand over Henry's ear, trying to shield him from the vile words. Her screaming was the last thing they heard as they closed the door to Grace's room.


	4. A Slight Snag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David, Jefferson, and the kids begin to tackle the process of packing up Grace's things, but they encounter one small problem and yet another confrontation.

Shutting the door behind them was like turning off a screeching heavy metal rock song, blissfully quiet. Jefferson and David both collapsed against the door in relief when they could no longer hear the goose's poisonous squawking. Jefferson heaved a sigh before looking around the room, and found himself fairly disturbed. It was as neat as a pin, not a piece of clothing on the floor, not a book out of order, or a stuffed animal thrown carelessly on the bed. It was too neat for a 10-year old little girl, and while Grace had always been good at picking up her toys and keeping her room tidy, even after they had moved from his childhood home to the cottage in the woods, her space had at least looked _lived in_. This, this looked like it had come out of a catalogue. Jefferson felt his anger rise again; he didn't know _how_ he had missed that woman's treatment of his daughter, but he was furious about it. That woman, that Mother Goose, had attempted to turn his daughter into a perfect little doll that didn't know how to think for herself, and it was taking all his will power not to go back and stab her in the heart with his scissors. He felt a nudge in his side then. Turning his head, Jefferson saw David giving him an understanding, but, at the same time, warning look. Jefferson sighed again, right. David knew how he felt because of his own experience with the woman, but he wasn't about to let Jefferson murder her. He could respect that, besides, it would traumatize Grace, seeing that side of him, and he'd hurt enough already.

            Shaking his head, Jefferson looked at Grace as best he could with her face buried in his neck and asked, "Grace? Is it alright if I put you down?" and feeling her nod, he bent down so that her feet were touching the ground before letting go. Straightening up slightly, Jefferson gently lifted Grace's chin so she was looking at him. "Okay Gracie, I need you to get what you need the most; you need clothes and shoes, your uniform and your school stuff. And get the things you want the most too, so any books or stuffed animals okay? Anything else we can get from the store later." he told her. She nodded in understanding and he let her go. Her backpack was still in the car, but she went right to her desk and picked up the large stack of books and notebooks and took it over to the bed. Jefferson, David, and Henry watched as she bustled about the room. Jefferson caught David's eye and then glanced down at Henry. David nodded in understanding.

            "Henry, go to Grace's closet and grab her uniform clothes okay?" David told the kid. Who looked up at him and nodded.

            "Grace, your uniforms are in the closet right?" Henry called to the girl, who was currently on her stomach, reaching under the bed. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a nod before pulling out a suitcase and dragging it to her dresser. She laid the suitcase flat and opened it before opening the dresser. The sight of the medium sized suitcase made Jefferson realize that they had a slight problem.

            "David," he said, turning to look at the man who was pulling out all the school supplies from Grace's desk. David turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised in question. "How are we transporting all of this from her room, to the car, and then up into my house? We have no boxes and only the one suitcase, and is Emma's car big enough?" Jefferson asked as he watched Henry struggle under the wait of ALL of Grace's uniforms as he carried them to the bed. He turned back to see David looking at him with dismayed realization. Grace had so many things that couldn't be replaced easily, and had nothing to carry it all in.

            "No, the bug is definitely not big enough," David, said with a pensive look on his face. He glanced at Jefferson with an intense, considering look that would have made Jefferson squirm a lifetime ago. "Can I leave you and the kids here alone?" David asked finally. He elaborated at Jefferson's annoyed and exasperated look. "Can I leave you here alone without you going downstairs and wringing the Old Goose's neck?" Jefferson let out a sigh.

            "Yeah David, I won't go after her. But I can't promise that nothing will happen if she comes after us." Jefferson said, staring at David until he understood that he wouldn't take another attack on Grace, verbal or physical, lying down. David nodded in confirmation.

            "That's all I can ask for. I'm going to drive the Bug back to Main Street and come back with my truck and some boxes," David said as he surveyed the room, wincing slightly at the tower of clothing in Grace's small suitcase. "And maybe while I'm gone, you can convince Grace that she doesn't need all of her clothing? I'm sure Ruby would be happy to take her shopping. And if I remember correctly, Cinderella is around here somewhere with her baby, I'm sure she'd be happy to help too." Jefferson looked at Grace and winced as well, yeah, that was not going to fit.

            "I'll see what I can do." Jefferson said, and they shared a small pained smile. Kids. Before anything else could be said, someone knocked on the door softly. Jefferson and David immediately tensed, prepared for another verbal barrage from the old hag.

            "Grace? Are you in there, Grace?" a man's voice called softly. Jefferson and David looked at each other before looking back at Grace who had perked up. "I heard yelling, even from the basement, and when I came up after it was over, I found Maggie in the front hall seething. Are you alright, sweetheart? She didn't hurt you did she?" Grace ran to the door and opened it with a big smile. Standing on the other side was an older man, in his late forties at least, his hair gray and his face lined with wrinkles. He was tall and slim, but his arms were well toned and his hands were covered in calluses. He was wearing an apron over a white button up and jeans, and he smelled like leather polish. He immediately went to one knee when he saw Grace and held his arms open for her hug. He glanced warily up at the two men who stood on either side of the doorway, watching as he hugged Grace. "And who are your friends?"

            "Hi Mr. Muffet!" Grace exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around the man's neck, and Jefferson relaxed a little, so this was Grace's Curse father. He seemed to care about Grace and her well-being, but Jefferson was still wary. What if tried to stop him from taking Grace home? "I'm okay! Papa, David, and Henry were there to protect me! You heard Dame Goose from the basement? Wow! We were on the porch for most of it!"

            Mr. Muffet started at that. "Papa?" he asked, looking at the dark haired man. He recognized David Nolan from all that hullabahoo about the John Doe regaining his memory before the Curse broke, and now knew him to be Prince Charming, but he hadn't recognized the other man until Grace called him Papa. He looked almost exactly like the picture she had drawn. So this was the man. "You're Grace's father? You're the man who left her all alone in the Enchanted Forest when she was just 8-years old? You left her there alone for 2 years before the Curse happened, how much longer would it have been if the Curse had never occurred?" he asked, standing up as the ire in his voice built.

            "Mr. Muffet..." Grace said quietly, tugging on his sleeve in warning. Mr. Muffet still didn't understand, and she had explained to him so many times since the Curse broke, Papa had never abandoned her, not on purpose. Grace looked at her Papa, and watched as he gripped his left arm, his fist clenched, and he was looking at the ground, like he had done something bad.

            "It wasn't by choice," Jefferson said in a hoarse voice. He was trembling, but he couldn't tell if it was from rage or from his composure starting to crack. This was the fourth time this week, third time today, and second time within the hour that someone had talked to him about Grace like they knew what was best for her. He couldn't be mad at David and Henry though; David had been focused on finding his wife and daughter, and Henry had just wanted to help. Goose on the other hand had been using any advantage she could to set him off and turn the Prince and Grace against him. But this man, this man was questioning his right to be Grace's father without knowing any of the circumstances. This man seemed to think that he was a better father for Grace, after 28 years of being cursed and few days of knowing the truth. This man didn't know Grace, he only knew Paige, a girl who had been forced into being a perfect doll. And this man hadn't stopped it. Jefferson lifted his chin. "I didn't leave her alone for so long by choice. I don't have to justify why I left her alone at all to you, but I did and I was supposed to be back by teatime. I was tricked and imprisoned by a mad woman until Regina cast the Curse. And I spent the whole time I was there trying to come home to her. I fought for my daughter," Jefferson exclaimed, the anger in his voice clear as a bell. He took a menacing step towards the other man who had grown ashen, and pointed a finger at him, ignoring the warning hand David placed on his shoulder. "But explain to me how I'm an unfit father when you let your "wife" verbally and emotionally abuse _my_ daughter, for _28 years_? Cursed or not, as her "father", you should have done something instead of letting that hag cow you in to submission," he snapped out, poking the older man in the chest. He raised his hand, palm out flat, when Mr. Muffet opened his mouth to speak. "Don't say a word. You don't get to; you have no right to tell me what's best for _my_ daughter. Where have you been the past few days? Where have you been as that hag doubled her efforts to crush Grace's spirit before she could find me? Did you turn a blind eye? Even when you should have known that the Prince and his council were doing their best to reconnect people with their real families? Did you even try to help? Or did you hide down in your basement, blocking out the world?" Jefferson asked with scorn as he carefully drew Grace away from the man and into his arms. She came willingly and wrapped her arms around his waist. Muffet was white as a sheet, and shame flickered across his face. So he hadn't even tried. Jefferson sniffed in contempt. "Before you try to tell others how to be a parent, you should take a look at yourself first."

            Jefferson could feel David's gaze on him, but he didn't turn to look at the other man. It didn't feel like a disapproving or angry look, and the hand on his shoulder was supportive and firm, but ready to pull him back if he went too far. And Jefferson appreciated it, he hadn't had a real friend since Mary Ann, but she had been his lover, wife, and the mother of his child, they're friendship had been different, with a different kind of love. The only person who had come close was March, and he had never really been Jefferson's friend. But Jefferson was growing used to having the other man around, and even though they had had a rocky start and had known each other less than 48 hours, David was quickly becoming someone Jefferson felt he could depend on, and even if they didn't become friends, Jefferson knew he could leave Grace in his hands and she would be safe. It must be part of his charisma, no wonder they called him Charming. David chose that moment to speak up.

            "Look, Mr. Muffet-" David started.

            "It's Shoemaker actually. I'm called the Shoemaker," the man piped up, shaking himself out of his daze.

            "Shoemaker then," David conceded, before continuing. "I know you mean well, but it's really not for you to decide who Grace stays with. She loves her father very much, and has spent the past week since the Curse broke looking for him. If he had abused her and she didn't want to go with him, the story would be different, but from the little that I know about Jefferson, he would never harm his daughter, he loves her too much, and it really isn't any of your business why they had been separated for so long before the Curse, just that it wasn't Jefferson's choice. And frankly, even if Jefferson were unfit, I wouldn't be leaving Grace here in your custody. I wouldn't trust any child with Dame Goose, if I had any choice. And you, you didn't come up to check on Grace until well _after_ Dame Goose had stopped yelling. This is a very unhealthy environment for any child, but doubly so for a young girl like Grace who has such a strong spirit. Dame Goose is very found of breaking girls like her. I'm sorry, but the matter is out of your hands. But if you'd like to help, we could use any cardboard boxes you have, so Grace's things can be packed up to go to her father's house. I'll be gone for about 15 minutes while I get my truck, but I'll be back soon. Can you agree to that?" David asked, using all of the diplomacy he could muster. This had been a very tiring day, and David was using all his strength not to curl his lip up at the man before him. It disgusted him when people, especially those who claimed to love and care about someone, wouldn't lift a finger to help when that person was being hurt or abused, not until after the abuser was gone. That went double for when the abused was a child. The man before him seemed to care about Grace, but he did nothing to help her, and all David could feel was disgust and pity as the man nodded and started going down the stairs.

            David turned to look at Jefferson, Grace, and Henry and found them watching him. Again. Why did everyone always have to look up to him? David shook his head with a sigh, he knew why; he just wished that he could get a break from being the leader every now and then. "I'll be back soon. Henry keep helping Grace and Jefferson," he waited until Henry nodded before looking at the little girl. "And Grace," she looked up at her name. "You don't need _all_ of your clothes, just essentials like pants and shirts and... _other things_ ," he said gracefully side-stepping the word underwear. He glared a little at Jefferson when the other man started snickering. Jefferson just smirked back at him. "Some of my friends can take you clothes shopping later. How's that sound? Good?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Great. I'll be back soon. Try to minimize the amount of stuff as much as possible!" He called over his shoulder as he started down the stairs.

            He mind started to wander as he walked out the front door, with no sign of Dame Goose or the Shoemaker anywhere. This was the second time someone had brought up the fact that Jefferson had disappeared and left Grace alone for two years before Regina cast the Curse. And both Jefferson and Grace seemed to shut down when it was mentioned, Jefferson more than Grace. Grace just looked sad whenever it had been brought up. But Jefferson, Jefferson's eyes had filled with pain, despair, and just a hint of...well, madness. David knew Regina had something to do with it, going by the way Jefferson spat her name out with rage, and he could bet that that scar on Jefferson's neck, the one he had seen flashes of when the scarf shifted, was part of it too. But that would have to wait, he thought as he got into Emma's car. Getting Grace out of this house came first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I have a lot of work to do with school and horseback riding. And I'm sorry that this was yet another angsty chapter, it wasn't meant to be, but this is how it came out. So...I hope you enjoyed it? Don't know when the next chapter will be coming, just be patient with me.


	5. Contemplations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson and the kids pack and have a little fun. David sees something that makes him really think about his new acquaintance (friend?), and decides that a conversation is definitely going to happen in the near future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I am so so SO sorry that it's taken me what 5 months now? to post a new chapter! These last couple of months have been really hectic and busy with school and I was studying abroad in England during all of June and part of July, and before that I was dealing with my grandmother's death in April and her funeral in May, so yeah, I've been busy. But I am happy announce that I'm finally getting back on track with a A Charming Friend! I hope that I'll be posting more regularly now, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy it!

The rest of the packing went relatively smooth. The Shoemaker brought up boxes and then, at Jefferson's look, left right after. Jefferson and Henry packed Grace's books and she dealt with most of her clothing. All her underthings were put into the suitcase along with several pairs of jeans and skirts and shirts. All of her uniform clothes went into a box with one or two of the dresses from her closet. When Jefferson asked about the rest, she just wrinkled her nose up and said they were itchy and no good for running around and getting dirty in. She looked and sounded so much like her mother, that for a second, Jefferson was completely stunned before he started to laugh so hard he fell over. A second later, Grace had jumped on him and was reaching for the dangerously ticklish spots that Mary Ann had taught her about. Instead, he had grabbed her up and tickled her first; her squeals of laughter were like a balm to his still cracked heart. Henry then decided to join the fight and had pounced on Jefferson's back, reaching around, and, by pure dumb luck, found one of Jefferson's ticklish spots. He fell sideways and took the kids with him. He had reached around trying to grab the kid, but then Grace had attacked his front. They were still in a laughing and wriggling pile when David returned.

            "Having fun are we?" he asked, leaning against the doorjamb. He took in the flushed and smiling faces, Grace still letting out a couple of giggles, and couldn't help but smile in return. He hadn't heard Henry laugh in a while, and he had a feeling that it had been a very long time since Jefferson or Grace had really laughed. Grace was on top of the pile, one hand supporting herself on Henry's back and the other resting on her father's side, Henry was laying on top of Jefferson, his arms and legs outstretched like a starfish, and Jefferson was sprawled on his back and was looking at David upside down. The angle his head was tilted at lengthened the line of his neck and David's eyes went straight to the scar. The scar that seemed to encircle his entire neck, now that David could get a good look at it. "Come on guys, get up. Let's start taking stuff down if you're done packing." He said, before laughing at Jefferson's exaggerated grunts as he slowly pushed the children up and off of him, and he laughed harder at their exaggerated noises when the two hit the floor.

            His laughter tapered off to nothing though, when he saw the rest of Jefferson's scar. It did encircle his entire neck, but David's stomach dropped when he realized that it was a perfectly straight line. He'd seen that kind of wound before, but, usually, the wounded was no longer among the living. Yeah, they had a long talk in their future. Jefferson looked over his shoulder to see what was wrong, and when he noticed where the intense stare was focused, he quickly pulled his scarf back up. Jefferson stood up, his back stiff, before leaning down to pull the still giggling children up. David sighed as he came to the realization that getting the story out of Jefferson was going to be like pulling teeth. Unfortunately, it was a conversation that they _needed_ to have. David didn't know why, but he just knew that he couldn't leave Jefferson alone.

            He thought about it as he grabbed one of the boxes and started carrying it out. Before Henry had honked that horn, David had only interacted with the man once, but there was something about the man that drew you in; it was a feeling similar to the pull of the portal that the Hat had made. But it was more than that, Jefferson had this air about him that spoke of tragedy and loneliness, and a desperation for connections. David had felt similar once, until he met Snow, the love of his life, and Jefferson had obviously had a similar connection if Grace, and the way Jefferson reacted to insults about the girl's mother, were any indication. Putting his box in the bed of the truck, David considered the mystery that was Grace's mother as he turned to go back into the house. Neither Jefferson nor Grace had talked about the woman, but David could almost feel her presence in the way that whenever the two stood next to each other, Grace's right side was always empty, like both of them were waiting for someone to come and take her hand. But neither had spoken a word about her. The only one who had even mentioned her was Dame Goose, and that had only been speculation made for the purpose of insult. David had the sinking feeling that she no longer existed in either world. Jefferson would've been searching for her as well as Grace if she was in Storybrooke, and he would've been desperately searching for a way back if she was in the Enchanted Forest. It could only mean that Grace's mother was dead, and that Jefferson and Grace had only had each other for however many years it had been since she died. It explained why Jefferson was so fervent in his protection of her, and why Grace had the tendency to cling to him, especially after being separated for 30 years, even if Jefferson had been the only one to fully experience most of those years. David shook his head as he started up the porch stairs. Now wasn't the time to think about that, there was plenty of time for it later tonight once Grace was settled. David opened the front door, and was met by Jefferson and the kids.

            "Whoa!' David shouted, as he nearly bowled Jefferson over. He reached out to steady the other man before he dropped the large box in his arms. "My bad. You okay?" he asked.

            "No worries," Jefferson replied easily. He peered up at David curiously, searching his face for something. David wondered what he saw. "Are you alright David? You seem preoccupied."

            David blinked. Was he really that easy to read? "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Just thinking about something. Is this everything?" he asked, gesturing at the box in Jefferson's arms.

            "Yeah," the hatter replied, adjusting his grip on the edges. "The kids have the rest," he said with a jerk of his head. David glanced over the man's shoulder. Henry tried to wave, but had to quickly fumble the box in his arms when it nearly dropped. Grace was pulling her suitcase behind her.

            "And are you sure this is everything Grace?" David asked. "I'm not sure how willing Mrs. Muffet will be to let us back in if you've forgotten anything."

            "Can she really keep us out?" Henry asked with a concerned look. "I mean, you're the Sheriff and it would be Grace's property? Can she really not let us in?"

            David crouched down so he was eye level with his grandson. If the kid was going to keep up this detective work of his, especially as the son of a cop and grandchild of a Prince who liked to think he was honorable and good, he needed to learn the law and what's right.

            "Yes, she can Henry," he said carefully. "This is her home, her private residence, and she has the right to keep it private. We're not allowed to go barging in without permission or without justifiable cause. That would be violating her rights and that's wrong."

            "But wouldn't getting Grace's stuff be justifiable cause?"

            "Not really kiddo. When the guardianship shifted, we had the right to come in and retrieve her possessions, but anything she leaves behind is the Muffets' property since it's their home. Now, if Grace left something we can always ask, and if it's something of value we can get a warrant, but otherwise, we can't just go in just because we feel like it. Understand?"

            "Got it."

            "Okay. So Grace, you have everything right?" David asked the little girl again.

            "Yes David, I have everything," she responded with a sharp nod.

            David stood up and clapped his hands together. "Alrighty then. Let's get your stuff in the truck!" He said with a smile as the kids raced down the porch steps. Jefferson made to follow, but David placed a hand on his shoulder. Jefferson looked at him in confusion.             "We need to talk," David said seriously. "Tonight."

            Jefferson just blinked and asked, "About what exactly?"

            "Everything."


	6. Misplaced Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Jefferson set the guidelines for the talk they need to have. The group starts driving to Jefferson's house. David, Henry, and Grace find out just how close Jefferson lived to Grace's Curse Home, and Jefferson and Henry have a serious talk about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the show said that Jefferson lived next door to Grace, but I decided to make it that they just lived on the same street. Cause I pictured Grace living in almost a cul-de-sac instead of right next Jefferson in the woods, so I gave them a bit of distance.

Jefferson froze. What did David mean by 'everything'? He took a deep breath to calm his suddenly racing heart.

            "Everything?" he asked the other man cautiously. "What do you mean?"

            "I mean everything, Jefferson," David responded, his tone still serious. "Who you are exactly, the hat, why you went practically catatonic when we started talking about the hat, what happened to Grace's mother, why you left Grace alone, how you got that scar and what Regina had to do with it, why you were the only one to retain your memories when the curse hit, and anything else that I can think of."

            Jefferson swallowed around the lump in his throat. So he had meant 'everything'. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He felt David squeeze his shoulder, keeping him from backing away like he wanted to.

            "That's a lot to talk about, Your Highness." he said finally, keeping his tone of voice as neutral as possible.

            "That may be, but we need to talk about it all," David responded, watching the other man closely. Jefferson wouldn't look him in the eye, and David could see the visible lines of discomfort in the other man's body language. David knew that he had brought up some very sensitive subjects, but it was unfortunately necessary. He softened his grip on the man's shoulder a little, making it comforting rather than restraining. "I know this is going to be difficult for you, but it really is necessary. I promise we'll take it slow, and if you really don't feel ready to talk about something, it can wait until you are." David said, trying to catch Jefferson's eye.

            Jefferson's eyes snapped to his in surprise, and David just smiled encouragingly. Jefferson sighed, David was right, they did need to talk, but it didn't make this any easier. He was just glad that the other man was willing to let Jefferson set the terms.

            "Okay," Jefferson said softly. "We'll talk. But first, let's get Grace home."

            Jefferson looked towards David's truck and saw the children struggling to get the boxes and suitcase into the bed of the truck. David followed his gaze and then started to laugh.

            "You're right," David said with another chuckle. He started walking down the porch steps. "We'd better go give them a hand," and then, as an after thought, he called over his shoulder. "Do you need help with that box?"

            Jefferson hefted the box in his arms, settling it.

            "No I've got it," he called back, following after the other man.

            They reached the truck quickly and David picked up the box Henry had been carrying and slid it into the truck bed. Jefferson put his own box in the truck before doing the same with Grace's suitcase.

            "All right kids," David said clapping his hands together before pulling open the door of the trucks cab. "Into the middle, it's going to be a bit of a squeeze, but there's only so much room in this truck."

            The kids scrambled in quickly and Jefferson just shook his head in exasperation. David saw his look and all he said was, "What?"

            "Seriously," Jefferson said with a small laugh, "What it is it with you and your daughter and your too small cars?"

            "Hey!" David said indignantly. "My truck is not too small!"

            "The cab is," Jefferson pointed out as he opened the passenger side door and slid in. David just raised an eyebrow at him as he got behind the wheel. The kids were squashed between them, Grace practically in his lap. Jefferson sent David a look in return as the other man attempted to maneuver around his grandson to reach the ignition. He laughed as the kid ducked to get out of the way. "I'm serious!" Jefferson said, still laughing as the engine roared to life. "Your daughter's car is too small to fit both people and luggage, and its roof is so low, I don't know how you don't bang your head on it. I've been in the front seat before, I think I still have a bump from it," he said, rubbing his head in remembrance, and pretending to ignore the way David turned to stare at him when he mentioned being in Emma's car before today. It was one more thing they needed to talk about, but Jefferson wanted to avoid bringing it up himself if possible. "And then there's your truck," he continued, making an abbreviated gesture with his hand to indicate the whole of the cab. "While the bed of the truck is huge, the cab is tiny! Couldn't you get one of those trucks with two rows? Or at least a larger bench?"

            "I happen to like this truck, thank you very much!" David responded as he pulled away from the curb. "Where am I going?"

            "Keeping driving straight," Jefferson responded pointing to where the street suddenly turned into forest. "My house is number 316."

            Jefferson didn't turn at the sudden silence inside the cab, but he did watch the others reactions out of the corner of his eye. David wasn't looking at him, if only because he didn't want to take his eyes off the road, but he was stiff with shock and a bit of anger. Henry was staring at him, his expressive eyes wide with horror. He couldn't see Grace, but he felt her clutching his hand like it was a lifeline. He didn't have to look to know that her face was contorted into a devastated expression.

            Henry, unsurprisingly, was the first to break the silence.

            "You lived on the same street the whole time? You guys were neighbors during the whole Curse?" The boy asked, his voice was filled with devastation and hurt. Jefferson knew why, and almost didn't say anything, but it would do the boy no favors to hide it from him. If he was anything like Emma, he would want the truth.

             "Yes, yes I did," Jefferson responded, and gave Grace's hand a gentle squeeze when her grip on his tightened. She was starting to cut off his circulation. "The Queen derived pleasure from having Grace be so close to me, yet so far away at the same time."

            Henry bowed his head, and Jefferson watched the boy with a pity that he wouldn't let the boy see. Even though the boy had spent so much time trying to prove that his adopted mother was the Evil Queen and trying to break the curse, he still loved her and obviously hadn't wanted to believe just how cruel she had been to the people of the Enchanted Forest when she cast the curse. He knew he deserved some of the punishment she had given him after what he had done, but what she had done in response was beyond the pale. Though he still wondered if she actually knew about what he had done, and just how she had found out.

            "I'm sorry Jefferson," Henry said suddenly, startling Jefferson out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry about what my mom did to you."

            Jefferson sighed; he needed to nip the kid's misguided guilt in the bud. Now.

            "Don't apologize Henry," he said. If anyone needed to apologize it was he himself. He just hoped he would get the chance and that they would all understand. "What Regina did, she did of her own will and with her own intentions. And she did it years before you were born. Hell, she started this mess before even your mother was born. None of it is your fault, and you shouldn't take the blame or the guilt of it upon yourself. If anything, you're a hero for going to find Emma and bringing her back to save us."

            The kid was looking at him with wide eyes, startled at how straight forward Jefferson had been. It seemed like not many people had told him that what the Queen had done wasn't his fault. Or maybe he was just finally revealing the fear that people would blame him, no matter how illogical it was to think so. Jefferson smiled slightly and reached out with his free hand to chuck the kid under the chin.

            "Buck up kiddo," he said mock sternly, making the boy grin. "Keep your head held high, and you look better with a smile on your face."

            Next to Henry, David just grinned, having been listening the whole time as he searched for Jefferson's home. The guy was good. David hadn't really gotten around to getting Henry to open up about his true feelings yet, but it seemed Jefferson had made the first move. Hopefully Henry would be more willing to open up to him soon. The kid needed someone to talk to, even if it wasn't David.

            David turned his eyes back to the road and soon he spotted the sign for Number 316 Drury Lane.

            "Guys, we're here," he announced to the rest of the truck. They all looked up surprised. Jefferson started to smile.

            "Welcome home, Grace," he said as David started down the winding driveway.

            Grace smiled and hugged her father. Jefferson just wrapped his arms around her. They were home.


	7. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson shows Grace her new home and is reminded of her mother, his late wife Mary Ann. Henry tries to understand Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep promising you guys the big conversation between David and Jefferson, but I need to time to set it up. I promise it is coming. Soon. But for now, just enjoy Mad Hatter Family feels.

David's mouth dropped open slightly as he pulled up to the front door of Jefferson's house and put the truck in park. Though house didn't really cover it, it was more like a small mansion. It shouldn't have surprised David, because despite the Curse being designed to take away everyone's happy endings, the town of Storybrooke was actually a very prosperous town and most of its residents were well off. This area of Storybrooke was one of the wealthier neighborhoods as well, which explained why Jefferson was living in such a big house. It took David a second to think of the other reason why Jefferson was in a house of this size. This was a house meant for a lot of people, meant for a family. And here was Jefferson alone in this big empty house, with his daughter living just down the road. That Jefferson kept his memories was either by Regina's design, or she knew that his circumstances when the Curse hit would prevent him from losing his memories. No matter the answer, she had been just as cruel to Jefferson as she'd been to everyone else with this curse, maybe more so if she knew he'd kept his memories. It made him want to ring her neck for what she'd done to the man, to all of them. But that wouldn't solve anything.

            "David?" someone asked tentatively, snapping him out of the daze he had been in. David shook his head, clearing it. He glanced over and saw the others sitting there, watching him with concern.

            "I'm fine," he said after a second. "Just got lost in thought."

            David winced when Jefferson's eyebrow rose at his answer. It was not lost to David that they had had a similar conversation less than two hours ago. David smiled at him sheepishly. Jefferson sighed and opened his car door.

            "Come on kids," he said, hopping out of the cab. He held out his hands for Grace to help her down, while David turned off the ignition and opened his own door. Henry jumped out as soon as he was out of the way.

            "Your house is so cool, Jeff!" Henry said, as he craned his neck to try and see the top of the house.

            "It's Jefferson," the man replied automatically. "And thank you, the place has grown on me these past 28 years."

            "Are there any secret passage ways?" Henry asked excitedly. David grinned; the kid was practically vibrating at the possibility.

            Jefferson just laughed.

            "Sorry kiddo, it's not that kind of house.," the man said as he walked around to the truck bed. David joined him, and together they started lifting the boxes and suitcase out.

            When everything was out of the truck, Jefferson looked at Grace and asked, "Ready to see your new room?"

            "Yes, Papa!" Grace replied happily. Jefferson smiled at her softly, and bent down to pick up one of the larger boxes.

            "Then follow me," he said, and started walking up the stairs to the front porch. The others quickly followed.

            When he reached the door, Jefferson took a moment to put his box down and rummage through his pocket for his keys and slide the house key into the lock. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, before bending down to pick the box up again. He glanced over his shoulder at the others.

            "This way," he said, with a jerk of his head. They quickly followed him inside and up the stairs. He lead them to door with Grace's name elegantly painted across it in a simple orange-brown, like leaves in fall. Jefferson looked at his daughter and asked, "You ready, Grace?" He smiled at her enthusiastic nod.

             Jefferson opened the door and revealed a simply yet elegantly decorated room. The walls were sunshine yellow, with a white ceiling. The hardwood floor was covered with a leaf green rug that covered most of the floor. A queen-sized bed, with a dark wood bed frame and orange sheets, was pushed up against a wall.  Two matching bedside tables stood to either side of the bed. Across from the bed was a wooden dresser, which stood next to what must have been the closet door. The remaining wall was taken up entirely by large windows that looked out on the woods, and underneath it was a window seat with a plush green cushion. There were several stuffed animals on the bed, including an obviously well abused teddy bear. There was a feeling of anticipation that filled the room's atmosphere, like someone was holding their breath. Like it was waiting. Waiting for Grace.

            No one spoke or moved for a full minute, and then Grace took a tentative step forward, over the threshold of the door and into the room, her room. The men, and Henry, held their breath as she crossed the floor to the windows. She climbed up on to the window seat and pressed her hands against the glass for a moment before she reached down and unlatched the locks and pushed the windows wide open. Crisp evening air rushed into the room, ruffling Grace's hair and the yellow drapes that hung around the windows, bringing with it the smell of growing things and the sound of animals settling for the night as others came out to play. Grace breathed in deeply and then looked back at her father and smiled.

            "It's perfect, Papa," she said softly, her eyes bright with happiness and a gentle smile on her lips. Jefferson released the breath he had been holding in a rush, as if someone had punched him in the stomach. For a second, Jefferson thought he had been looking at a ghost, because with that expression on her face, Grace looked exactly like her mother. Before everything had gone wrong.

            _Jefferson had been pacing up and down the hall of his childhood home for hours, waiting. He shot another look at the door as he passed it again. He'd been kicked out within minutes of the mid-wife's arrival, no matter how much he had argued to remain. But the old woman had put her foot down, telling him how his own father had waited outside for Jefferson to be born, and how he would just be in the way if he tried to stay. Jefferson had decided that it wasn't worth it to try and argue with the woman who had delivered him. He hunched his shoulders as he heard his wife scream once again, the sound barely muffled by the thick wooden door that separated them. He wanted to run in there and rip the mid-wife and her assistants, for causing her pain. He couldn't blame the child, or take his rage out on it, so the mid-wife would have to do. Maybe that was why they wouldn't let him in, he pondered as he passed the door again. He didn't hear anything more than pained whimpers and gasps for what felt like hours. And then he heard his wife scream once more, a blood-curdling scream that turned his blood to ice in his veins, as another screaming voice joined his wife's and soon over took it. Jefferson slumped against the wall in exhausted relief. It was done. The door opened minutes later._

_"My Lord," the mid-wife's assistant said questioningly, sticking her head around the door jam searching for him. She smiled when she spotted him. "My Lord," she repeated. "The child is born, and both mother and baby are healthy. My Lady is tired and sore, but she will be fine in a few days. Please come in now."_

_Jefferson straightened quickly and followed the assistant into the birthing chambers. There his wife lay, drenched in sweat, her blonde hair in tangles around her face, leaned back against the pillows of the four-poster bed. In her arms was a blanket-swaddled bundle, which Mary Ann was gently rocking back in forth, cooing at it with an adoring smile on her face. As always, her bright blue eyes were filled with wonder and a need to know as she stared at what could only be their child. Jefferson cleared his throat as he approached the bed. Alice swung her head up to look at him as he reached her side. She smiled gently when their eyes met, the blue depths of her eyes were shining with unshed tears of joy, and she leaned into his touch when he placed his hand on her cheek._

_"Look, my love," she said softly, tilting the bundle so that Jefferson could see the small face of their baby. "Just look at her. She's perfect, Jefferson. Our little Grace."_

            Jefferson snapped back to reality, shaking off the memory and smiling back at Grace.

            "I'm glad you like it, Grace. I designed it all for you," he said simply, then held out a hand for his daughter. "Come one, why don't we go make dinner, and you can worry about unpacking later," he looked at David and Henry as his daughter quickly rushed to his side. "You both are more than welcome to stay. I'm afraid I don't have anything fancy, but I can make a good chicken soup at least."

            "That's fine Jefferson," David replied, smiling. "We'd be happy to stay."

            "This way then," Jefferson said, pulling Grace towards the stairs, mind already focused on what ingredients he needed.

            David just shook his head as father and daughter absently made their way downstairs. He looked down when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Henry was looking up at him with a solemn expression on his face.

            "What's wrong Henry?" he asked softly, not wanting his voice to carry through the spacious house.

            "How could she do this to them, to you, to everybody?" The boy asked in a choked whisper, as he turned his head to look at the room that Jefferson had spent 28 years making just perfect for his daughter. "I don't understand how she could hate all of you so much that she did this."

            David's heart broke for his grandson, understanding the pain of having the one person who you love most in the world betray you. Even though Snow had broken his heart in an effort to save him, and even though Regina had cast the curse before Emma was even one day old, it didn't make the pain hurt any less. To Henry, Regina's actions past and present had shown him who she really was, no matter how much Regina loved Henry. David didn't doubt that for a second. Regina had raised Henry and he was as much her son as he was Emma's, and he loved Regina just as much as he loved Emma. But his trust and her had been broken, and just like a mirror, no matter how many times it was fixed; you could still see the cracks.

            David sighed and knelt down to his grandson's level. He wrapped his arms around the boy, and just held tighter as the boy took a shuddering breath.

            "I don't know kiddo," David admitted. "Regina hates your grandmother, and she has a reason too, but I don't know why she took it out on our entire world."

            Henry pulled back and looked at David, a confused frown on his face.

            "What reason does Regina have for hating Snow White?"

            David sighed and ruffled the boy's hair, "I'll tell you later, but right now, let's go eat. Jefferson and Grace must be getting worried that we got lost in this giant house."

            Henry laughed as David stood up, "It is big."

            "Let's go kid. I'm hungry."

            "Yeah!"

            The two started towards the staircase, leaving the door to Grace's room open as fresh air raced through the house, flushing out the dust and darkness with bright and happy sighs.


	8. Truths Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jefferson reveals truths that horrify and upset David, Henry, and Grace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA HA! NEW CHAPTER! FINALLY! I'm sorry it's been so long guys, but I've had a REALLY tough time lately. My Grandfather died just a few weeks ago, and it devastated me and the rest of my family. His funeral was Saturday. But I was finally inspired to finish this chapter.
> 
> This is a two part chapter, because it was getting a little long, and I don't want to overwhelm you guys with so much dialogue. Part two of this chapter will be out soon-ish.

Jefferson sighed as he cleaned up the kitchen after the simple meal they had just eaten. His mind was racing even as he calmly scrubbed the pot he'd made the soup in. He had to tell David what he had done since Emma had arrived in Storybrooke. No matter how terrible those things were. The prince was swiftly becoming a friend, possibly a very good one, and he could not and would not have that friendship built on a lie, or rather, a lack of truth. David had asked to be told everything, and over time, Jefferson would tell him about his past, as David would tell him about his own because he was just that kind of man, but that would have to wait until after Jefferson had told him of his transgressions against the man's family. Jefferson sighed again as he left the pot to soak and started loading the dishwasher.

            "That's a pretty heavy sigh, Jeff. You okay?"

            Jefferson chuckled a bit at the nickname and asked, "I'm going to have to learn to live with that nickname, aren't I?"

            "I think you might have to, it's a bit easier than Jefferson," David replied with a smile. His smile soon dropped, when Jefferson only silently continued to load the dishwasher. "Seriously, Jefferson. What's going on?"

            Jefferson hesitated slightly, before he quickly put the dish soap in and started the washer. He slowly turned around with a sigh, griping the counter as he leaned against it. He looked at David, who was sitting across from him at the kitchen's island, a mug of coffee at his elbow and an expectant look on his face as he watched Jefferson. Jefferson closed his eyes tightly for a second before opening them and once again looking at the prince. David sat up straighter at the look of resolve in the former portal jumper's eyes.

            "I'd really like to consider you a friend, David," Jefferson began slowly. "You've been helpful and kind to me and Grace since you let us into your daughter's car, and I'm starting to appreciate your company. It's been a while since I've enjoyed anyone's company, much longer since I've had someone I could consider a friend."

            David looked startled at that. His expression soon morphed into a smile at the honesty in Jefferson's words and responded, "Of course Jefferson. I'd like to be your friend too. You seem like a real stand up guy."

            Jefferson couldn't stop the laugh that statement caused. David looked startled again, probably because he could hear the self-deprecation in Jefferson's voice.

            "Trust me David, I'm not," Jefferson paused, and took a deep breath. "But I used to be, and I'd like to be that man again. And I'd very much like to be your friend. But first there's something I have to tell you. Could you call the kids?" Jefferson asked suddenly. At David's confused look, he explained. "This is something they should...no need to hear. I won't keep secrets from Grace anymore, and keeping them from Henry just seems like a bad idea. Beyond that, what I have to say concerns him. And her."

            "Jeff," David started, a serious frown on his face as a feeling of dread settled over him. "How bad is this?"

            "Bad," Jefferson responded with a weak smile. "You may need the vintage scotch I have in my liquor cabinet. I know I will."

            With that, David quickly stood up and went looking for the kids. Jefferson let out a shaky breath, and slowly unclenched his hands from where they'd been tightly gripping the counter. They tingled as the blood rushed back to his fingers. Jefferson strode to the living room where he kept his liquor, and pulled a bottle of 50-year-old scotch from the cabinet, along with two tumblers. Regina wasn't completely heartless, and had given him some extravagances to distract himself with, no matter how temporary the effects and how painful the remembering was afterwards. He heard footsteps on the stairs, and started walking back to the kitchen with a glance at the rug by the couch, where a slightly brown tea stain still remained, he wouldn't have this conversation in the room where he drugged Henry's mother and David's daughter.

            "David," he called, as he opened the icebox. "Do you like your scotch on the rocks, or straight?"

            "On the rocks is fine, Jefferson," David responded warily as he lead the children into the kitchen. He watched Jefferson put ice in two glasses before continuing. "Though I think I'll wait to hear what you have to say before I imbibe in alcohol, besides I still have to drive tonight."

            "That's fair," Jefferson said as he poured the golden-brown liquor into both tumblers. He picked one up, but left the other next to the bottle. "I was going to offer you and Henry one of my guest rooms tonight, but I'm not sure how willing you will be to stay after this." He said, and then took a quick sip of his scotch.

            "Jefferson. Enough stalling. Tell us what is going on," David demanded.

            Jefferson sighed again, and then gestured to the island with his glass as he leaned against the counter.

            "Sit down, all of you," he said, and then waited until they had sat. "This is not going to be easy for you to hear, any of you. It's even harder to say, but you all need to know."

            "What is it Jeff?" Henry asked with a curious tilt to his head and a spark in his eyes that reminded Jefferson very much of the boy's mother.

            "I've done many bad things in my life before the Curse, before you came into my life Grace," Jefferson began, smiling at his daughter. "I haven't really done much these past 28 years, besides watching over Grace, which is a felony in this land I'm pretty sure. Stalking, right?" Jefferson asked, looking at David.

            "As acting sheriff, I'm going to let it pass," the man responded with a little smirk.

            "Your daughter nearly didn't," Jefferson said flatly, and David's smirk dropped.

            "What do you mean by that?" David asked, leaning forward. The children watched him with wide eyes.

            "Things changed after Emma came to town. I felt her the second she passed over the town line," Jefferson began, and at the looks of confusion, he explained. "The curse barrier around the town acts kind of like a portal, you step over it, and your in a town that's not supposed to exist, that's frozen in time, and despite the land it's in has a little bit of magic, sewn into it by the curse that brought it. I can't use that magic, but I feel it. I felt when you somehow hitched a ride out of town," Jefferson said with a look at Henry, who just looked proud. "And I felt it when you came back with her. The power your mom has pulsed along the barrier like a tidal wave, how Regina didn't feel it I don't know. She got complacent after all this time. I know you know this Henry, but your mom is very special, she's the child of true love, that was sent through a magic wardrobe just ahead of a powerful curse that ended the lives of everyone in the Enchanted Forest, as they knew it. Your mom is the Savior, the only one who could break the curse."

            "We know all of this Jefferson," David said with a wave of his hand. "What does it have to do with my daughter nearly arresting you, and they very bad things you have to tell us?"

            "You remember when Mary Margaret was arrested for Abigail's 'murder', don't you?"

            "Of course I do..." David trailed off, his expression suddenly becoming very dark and stormy as he began to rise from his seat. "Don't tell me _you're_ the one who set her up."

            "No, no," Jefferson waved him off, taking another sip of his scotch. "Sit down David, you're scaring my daughter," He watched David glance at Grace's wide, frightened eyes before the man quickly sat. Jefferson took a breath, and continued his tale. "No, I did not set up Mary Margaret for 'murder'. What I did do is take advantage of her daring escape from her prison cell."

            "What do you mean?" David asked darkly.

            "I caught her," Jefferson said simply. "Or kidnapped her if you will, I say caught because at the time she was considered a potentially dangerous primary suspect. I just kept her instead of turning her in right away. Sit," Jefferson said as David started to rise again.

            "Stop playing word games, Hatter, and just tell me what you did," David said through gritted teeth as he sat.

            Jefferson sighed, and put down the scotch, pushing it away from him. He walked forward and sat at the island, across from the other three.

            "Sorry about that," he said sincerely. "Word games is a bad old habit that refuses to die, and the scotch wasn't helping."

            David's expression cleared a little at the apology, "It's fine Jeff, just tell it to us straight."

            "Right," Jefferson said, running a hand through his hair. He paused for a moment, and then decided it was all or nothing. He slowly untied the intricate knot of his scarf, and then pulled it from his neck. David sucked in a breath, Henry gasped, and Grace's eyes started welling up with tears at she stared at the perfectly straight scar around her father's throat. "It goes all the way around, just so you know," Jefferson said when they were silent for more than a minute. Their eyes snapped up to his, and he just nodded. "When I left you Grace," he continued, looking at her. "It was to take on one last job as a portal jumper. It was a job for Regina," he said, flicking a glance at Henry, watching the sad realization spread on his face. David's face was just filled with dread. "I was to help her retrieve something that had been stolen from her, something that had been taken to Wonderland. The one place I hate more than anything, but it was also the place that gave me your mother Grace, so that's the only thing going for it," he said looking at her.

            "So was Alice Grace's mother?" Henry suddenly asked, eager.

            "What? No," Jefferson replied quickly. "No, Alice was merely a child the first time I met her. The second time, when she was much more grown, I had already been married to Grace's mother, Mary Ann. The third time I met her, she was consorting with a genie, and I had already earned the title of Mad Hatter," he raised his voice when he saw Henry open his mouth to ask more questions. "If you want to know more about Alice, and her genie, ask the Knave of Hearts, he's floating around here somewhere, the brat. He knows Alice much better than I."

            "What happened, Papa?" Grace asked in a small voice, bringing the conversation back to its original place. Jefferson sighed and touched his scar.

            "I braved the Queen of Hearts court and Regina was able to get what she came for while I distracted the guards. We made it back to the portal where Regina unveiled my undoing. Inside the box was Regina's father, he was being used as some hostage in whatever battle it is between Regina and the Queen of Hearts. His presence is what lead me to this scar," he said, looking at the three of them. "The rules of my hat are this, only the same number of people that went into the hat can come out again. With me and Regina the number was two, but with Regina's father..." he trailed off.

            "The number was suddenly three," David finished.

            "Yes," Jefferson acknowledged. "I pleaded with Regina, because our deal was that I helped Regina, and she would give me enough wealth that Grace and I would live comfortably for the rest of our lives," he looked at Grace when he heard her choke back a sob. "I so badly wanted to buy you that rabbit, and I wanted you to be more than a mushroom collector's daughter. I wanted you to have more of a future than that. I begged Regina not to leave me there, because you would be all alone, I asked her to think of my daughter. She told me she was, that I should never have left you, and that you were better off without me. She set me up on a double standard, enticing me with riches so you could live well and happily the rest of your life, and then condemning me for leaving you so I could give you that future. I realized then that we could've been happy in that little cottage, just the two of us, for the rest of time. And Regina left me behind, portal closing, as the guards caught up. I was brought before the Queen of Hearts, who demanded that I make another magic hat for her."

            "But, you said that you couldn't make any more!" Henry exclaimed horrified.

            "The Queen didn't accept that, she was desperate to get out of Wonderland, so she had my head cut off," he said looking down as the gasps filled the otherwise silent kitchen. "But you see, Wonderland doesn't work at any kind of normal level. If you cut off someone's head, they survive. I don't know how long until the head dies, but eventually it starts losing sense. The Caterpillar has the head of a man that double-crossed him on his desk, the head used to speak, last time I saw it, all it did was scream. The queen had my head sewn back onto my body, and then I was tasked with making hats until I could make another magic hat. You start losing your sanity when you lose your head, I lost the rest in the years before the curse ripped me from there."

            Grace quickly got down from her stool and ran around the counter to throw herself into Jefferson's arms. He just held her close and let her cry the tears they both knew he wouldn't. Henry just stared at Jefferson wide-eyed, anger at Regina coursing through him. Then David placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezed. There was understanding in his eyes when Henry looked at him. Then David looked back at the father and daughter, and couldn't help put picture what it would've been like if he had been around to see Emma grow up, if she would've let him hold her like Jefferson was holding Grace. David blinked back tears before clearing his throat.

            "Jefferson, thank you for telling us this, but what does it have to do with you kidnapping my wife, and what does it have to do with my daughter?" he asked softly, but firmly.

            Jefferson looked up from where he'd been slowly soothing his daughter and met David's eyes. "I thought your daughter, with all the power she has, being the Savior and the child of true love, would be able to do the impossible, and make the hat work."


	9. Truths, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conversation continues. Emotions run high as Jefferson confesses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've made some edits, mainly to comply more with the "Hat Trick" episode, and also the theory I've come up with about why the White Rabbit never took Cora to the Enchanted Forest.

            "You thought Emma could fix your hat?" David asked incredulously. "Why? You've said multiple times that it's impossible to make another one, and by the way. What happened to your original one after you were trapped in Wonderland?"

            "Regina happened to the original. She kept it after the portal closed. She used it once after she trapped me there. I felt the portal open, but I was locked up in the Queen of Hearts' castle, and quite insane, so there was nothing I could do. I felt that portal close too, and the Queen's magic vanished from Wonderland, thank God. Though the Red Queen is just as bad. I was living on my own in the Tulgey Woods after that, until the curse happened. Regina still had it here as well. I spent most of the 28 years making hats, when I wasn't watching Grace. The reason I thought Emma could make the hat work is because she's the Savior and has immense power, and also I was still a little crazy and desperate just to make it work. And it did, a little bit." Jefferson explained.

            "So what happened?" Henry asked warily. Jefferson sighed.

            "I knew you're mother would be looking for Mary Margaret, and she would eventually look in the woods around here, so I started walking up and down the road. Eventually, she came by in that little yellow bug, pretty much ran me off the road too, though I exaggerated my injuries, and she gave me a lift home," Jefferson started. He looked at David when the man just sighed. "What?"

            "Sometimes, Emma is too much like her mother and I, she'll always stop to help a person in trouble," David explained with a shake of his head. Jefferson grinned.

            "But wait!" Henry exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat. "What about my mom's super power?" When the others just looked at him strangely, he explained. "Emma's got this gift where she can always tell when someone's lying!"

            "Obviously not always Henry," Jefferson responded. "She couldn't tell that I was lying, though the fact that she lied and told me she was looking for a lost dog when I asked her what she was doing out in the woods might have affected her abilities to see through lies. She also couldn't tell that Regina was lying about the curse, and she definitely couldn't tell that Gold remembered _everything_ about his previous life in the forest."

            "Yeah, but, he's Rumplestiltskin, he's centuries old, right?"

            "Blue Fairy's older, and she didn't remember a thing...as far as we know, anyway," Jefferson replied.

            "But-!" Henry started to protest, but David cut him off.

            "Let's worry about that later. Please continue Jefferson."

            "Of course," Jefferson said with a small smile, before continuing his tale. "Emma was nice enough to help me inside, and I offered to show her the maps I've made of the forest," he paused and raised an eyebrow when they looked startled. "I had to do something besides watch Grace these past 28 years, my maps are very accurate. I made some tea...and added a little something extra," Jefferson finished, hedging.

            "What little something extra?" David asked with a scowl.

            "Just a mild sedative," Jefferson said quickly, hands up in defense.

            "You _drugged_ my daughter?!"

            "It sounds so much worse when you say it like that."

            "Jefferson! There's no way you can make that sound good!"

            "Okay! Okay! Yes, I know it was bad. But remember, desperate and insane," Jefferson replied, pointing at himself.

            David sighed.

            "Just continue."

            "Alright," Jefferson replied calmly, and picked up the line of his story again. "After Emma fell asleep, I tied her up and left her in the living room. I spent the time waiting for her to wake up working on a hat, checking on Grace, and checking on Mary Margaret as well. That's it," Jefferson said, trying to reassure his audience. Henry and David looked a little relieved, while Grace just listened. "After I checked on Mary Margaret, I went back to work. Eventually Emma made her way upstairs and found your wife, and then I may have threatened them with Emma's gun," Jefferson stopped again when David stood up, rage filling his features. Jefferson hurried on before David could threaten to kill him. "I know! Bad, very bad. Never going to do it again I swear! Safety was on the whole time. I had Emma tie Mary Margaret back up, and then pulled her into my workshop. I explained to her what I wanted her to do, and she got working. And then we talked. I gave my story, she countered with her usual disbelief, and we went back and forth. At one point, I had her get up and look through the telescope I have pointed at where Grace was living. She didn't say it, but I knew she was thinking that I was a stalker."

            Henry and David shared a look.

            "My mom is really stubborn about believing in magic, but it kind of is stalking," Henry said bluntly. David put his head in his hands and shook his head. "What? It is."

            Jefferson laughed, "Yes Henry, I'm well aware that it was stalking, but I think we already agreed to not discuss it."

            "Right, right. So what happened next?" the kid asked eagerly.

            "Well, I told your mother some of my story, and then your mother played me by telling me she believed me and that she'd tried to make the hat work...And then proceed to brain me in the back of the head with my telescope," Jefferson replied promptly, and David, who had lifted his head from his hands, dropped it back down again. Jefferson chuckled. "While I was out, Emma got back to Mary Margaret and was about to leave the room I'd put her in when I caught up. There was then a very rough and tumble fight."

            Jefferson paused then, wondering how exactly to explain what happened next.

            "What happened Daddy?" Grace asked, speaking up for the first time in a while. Jefferson gave her a small smile.

            "Well, I think Mary Margaret remembered some of her life as a bandit because she hit me in the back with a croquet mallet before kicking me out the window."

            "What?!" David and Henry exclaimed.

            "She kicked me out the window," Jefferson repeated, watching them carefully.

            "But, if that room is on the same floor as the workroom, isn't that the top floor?" Henry asked. "It would have to be for you to see over the tree line to see Grace's house, let alone all the way to town."

            "It is," Jefferson said simply.

            "That fall should've killed you, or at least broken your back or legs," David said mystified. And then seemed to come to a realization. "And why weren't you arrested? The whole town would've heard about your arrest, especially if you had ended up in the hospital!"

            "This is the part that confuses me too," Jefferson replied. "You see, I'm not entirely sure how I walked away from that fall without broken bones, but I think Emma helped," at the looks of puzzlement the others gave him, he explained. "I was wearing the hat Emma had worked during the fight, I guess you could say I was acting the part of the Mad Hatter. Anyway, I was still wearing the hat when I got thrown out the window. I wasn't feeling much fear, just madness, and a will to live in order to get back what I lost. And then I felt it. The tug of magic, my magic, my family's magic, and the magic that I've come to associate your family with David."

            "My family? What do you mean?" David asked perplexed

            "David. You and Snow White are soul mates and have true love, your daughter is the result of that, and you Henry have the same feel about you, though there's something different about you that I just can't put my finger on."

            "Really? Huh. But so what happened, you felt the magic and then what?" Henry asked excitedly.

            "I felt the magic tug at me they way it used to when I spun the hat, and I grabbed onto that feeling, forced my will into it, and then I was passing through the hat. It was an incomplete and unstable hat, and I'm very lucky to be alive because I was plummeting through darkness and I could feel the portal collapsing as I passed through. I saved myself by thinking of Grace and figuratively throwing myself to her. I popped out in the woods behind the Muffet house. Two days later."

            "Two days!" Everyone exclaimed.

            "Portals are weird, because they traverse both space and time, more space than time, but there are people who can do both. The White Rabbit for example can go move through time as well as space. And time moves differently in each world. You can measure the difference between each world for the most part. Wonderland is the exception for that, because it's where the impossible can and will happen, that includes time. Sometimes, the time in Wonderland matched perfectly with the Enchanted Forest, other times, it was slower, or it was faster, and impossible to predict which it would be on my trips."

            "That's really confusing," Henry said slowly.

            "You don't need to tell me that, kid," Jefferson replied with a laugh.

            "But wait! If the Queen of Hearts was trying to get to the Enchanted Forest, why didn't she use the White Rabbit, he travels between worlds right?" Henry asked suddenly.

            "And if he can, why didn't you use him to escape?" David asked.

            Jefferson shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Ask the hard ones, why don't you. I don't know all the intricacies of Rabbit's abilities, but from what I've gleaned over the years that I've known him, Rabbit is only able to travel between two worlds, Wonderland and this one."

            "Really?" David asked. "Why is that?"

            "I really couldn't tell you," Jefferson said, shaking his head again. "But I think it's the limit on his abilities."

            "Limit?" Henry asked.

            "It's more so for people like Rabbit, who naturally have the ability to make a portal, than people like myself who put portal magic into a specially crafted object, but all portal jumpers, have limits on what they can do," Jefferson explained.

            "Why?"

            "Think of what Rabbit can do, he is able to travel through not only space, but also time when he comes to this world."

            "Really?"

            "Yes, how do you think the Knave got here? He wasn't ripped out of Wonderland that's for sure. Rabbit's taken Alice back and forth between the two worlds several times, and she's from Victorian Age England. I believe Will's been here since a little after Emma arrived. It's entirely possible that not even a year has gone by in Wonderland since I landed here 28 years ago."

            "So what does this have to do with limits?" David asked.

            "Just think, if Rabbit could travel to any time in any world he wished to, he could cause a lot of damage if he was so inclined, and anyone who had control over him could do the same. If my hat didn't have the limit of 'same number of people who go in, must come out' I could transport whole armies from one world to another. Portals and portal-makers must have limits, or the whole balance of the worlds and magic is thrown into chaos."

            "What about Wonderland?" Henry asked

            "Even Wonderland has its own balance, kid," Jefferson replied. "If it didn't, the place would completely fall apart. There must always be balance."

            "So you think that the reason that the Queen of Hearts never used the White Rabbit to travel to the Enchanted Forest is because it's impossible for him, even in the land of 'everything's possible'?" David asked skeptically.

            "Like I said, even Wonderland needs balance, the Laws of Magic apply in Wonderland just like they do in the Enchanted Forest," Jefferson replied with a shrug.

            "What are the rules of magic?" Grace asked.

            "You can't use magic to make someone fall in love, you can't use it to change the past, and you can't bring back the dead," Jefferson recited.

            "But doesn't Rabbit jump through time in this world?" Henry asked. "How is that not changing the past?"

            "I honestly don't know Henry," Jefferson replied. "I wish I could explain it better, but I don't know. But I'm actually glad that Rabbit, if I'm right, can't travel to the Enchanted Forest?"

            "Why?" Grace asked. "Didn't you want to come back?"

            "I did, but knowing the Queen, if Rabbit was able to travel to the Forest, she probably would've done something horrible to Rabbit to make him comply. And if he'd taken me away while I was still her hatter she would have killed his family, wife and kids, probably in front of him, tortured him, and then killed him," Jefferson stopped at the horrified looks he was getting. He raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you expect anything less from the Queen of Hearts? One of the most infamous literary characters ever written? Really? Did you think Lewis Carroll was completely exaggerating? He took the story from Alice, fresh out of Wonderland. There have been many Queen of Hearts, they are never nice."

            "Alright, alright," David said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "So what about after the Queen left? Did the Rabbit never offer?"

            "He did actually, once," Jefferson, said, suddenly solemn. He looked at Grace, who just hugged him again. "It was not long after the Queen left. I had retired to my house in the Tulgey Woods, and Rabbit came to find me. I was completely insane by this point, but I had moments of lucidity. And Rabbit came to me during one of those times. And when he asked me if I wanted him to at least try, I wanted so badly to say yes, and if I hadn't been in control of myself, I would have, and it probably would've destroyed Rabbit. But my lucid moments were few and far between. And I could not subject Grace to my madness, even if he could. So I said no, and tried very hard to control myself. And I slowly improved, but then, the curse struck. And I was stuck in a state that was somewhere between madness and lucid, for 28 years. And this led to the incident with Snow White and Emma, and," Jefferson paused for a moment, and looked Henry dead in the eye. Henry straightened at the regret and determination in Jefferson's eyes. "This also led me to the incident regarding you, Henry."

            "What?" Henry asked, bewildered.

            "What do you mean Jefferson?" David demanded, a feeling of dread falling over him.

            "It's my fault that Henry fell into the sleeping curse," Jefferson said. He tensed when David shifted, prepared for the man to lunge across the counter to strangle him.

            "But...the curse was meant for my mom. Why would you help Regina poison my mom?" Henry asked softly. "I thought you wanted Emma's help. Why would you do that?"

            Jefferson sighed.

            "By that point Henry, your mom had already made it pretty clear what she thought of me, so I certainly wouldn't have helped. When Regina called me to her office, I was prepared to turn her down, but there she was with my hat, the promise that Grace and I would be together forever, and the fact that I was leaning more towards madness then normal. That trip through the incomplete portal? It messed with my head, made me fall more towards the Mad Hatter than Jefferson. And I was desperate. She didn't tell me much, just that she needed one specific item from one specific time. She used little bits of magic that she brought with her to power my hat, and used the little bit of magic she had to force it to do what she wanted. And from the hat, I pulled a bitten in to apple. I didn't know what she was going to do with it, and I was so consumed with thoughts about getting Grace back, that I didn't realize just what it was until after the curse broke. And then Regina broke her promise to me once again, told me to get out, wouldn't give me the hat, and wouldn't give me Grace. And I couldn't do a damn thing against her."

            "So you didn't know it was the poison apple that Regina used to curse Snow White?" David asked roughly.

            "No," Jefferson said with a shake of his head. "I didn't. All I knew was that it was something Regina was positive would get rid of Emma."

            "So you weren't really to blame for me falling under the sleeping curse," Henry said slowly, thinking it over. Jefferson just stared at him, stunned.

            "What? No. Henry, I'm the one who got the apple."

            "Yeah, but you didn't know what Regina was going to use it for, or that I would eat it to prove that magic exists to my mom."

            "But I knew it was something that she was going to use against Emma, and I got it for her, willingly."

            "You were trying to get Grace back, I understand. It's okay, I forgive you." Henry declared with an air of finality. Jefferson just put his head in his hands at Henry's determination to ignore the fact that he helped the Evil Queen get a poison apple that was going to be used against his birth mother. He lifted his head with a sigh and looked at the prince.

            "David? What do you have to say about it?" Jefferson asked.

            "I think Henry said it all, you doing what you could to get your family back. And the madness influenced your actions a great deal. I think I can forgive you for it as well. Though I'm not at all happy about you kidnapping Mary Margaret, drugging Emma, and waving a gun at them. But if you're able to get their forgiveness for your transgressions, I think I can live with it," The prince reasoned, considering Jefferson carefully.

            Jefferson sighed.

            "Papa," Grace's small voice suddenly spoke up. Jefferson focused all his attention on her immediately. "It's okay, Papa. You told the truth, and now you're free. That's all that matters now."

            And then she smiled at him. Jefferson started laughing. The other three looked at him quizzically, wondering if he was slipping back into madness.

            "Optimists," Jefferson finally got out, chuckling. "I'm surrounded by optimists."

            Henry smiled at him brightly, his eyes crinkling as he grinned. David took a swig of his almost forgotten scotch before coming around the island to clap him on the shoulder. And Grace just wrapped her arms around him tightly in a hug. He hugged her back and granted the others a weary smile. Maybe being surrounded by optimists wasn't such a bad thing

            "So if you were half-crazy during the curse and almost really crazy when you helped Regina, why aren't you crazy now? Or is this how you are when you're crazy?"

            Then again, maybe not. Henry had a very bad habit of asking awkward questions at awkward moments.

 


	10. Truths Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's awkward question produces more truths from Jefferson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried my best to portray mental illness correctly. I myself suffer from depression and anxiety, and accurate representation matters to me. That said, I'm not always as eloquent with my words as I appear to be, and if anyone has problems with how I portrayed Jefferson's mental illness, and have suggestions on how I can fix it, please let me know. I'm always open to constructive criticism.

            "So? Are you still crazy or not?" Henry asked again, practically bouncing in his seat.

            "Henry!" David snapped as Jefferson contemplated banging his head against the island counter. The slight squeeze from the arms around his waist told him that yes, Grace could still tell what he was thinking, just like Mary Ann, and that no, he could not bang his head against the counter.

            "What?" Henry asked. "It's a valid question. And one I really want to know the answer to." David just scowled at his grandson.

            "It's okay, David," Jefferson said, waving the man back to his seat. "He's right, it is a valid question."

            "Well? Are you?" Henry asked impatiently as he grandfather sat back down.

            "Take it easy kid," Jefferson said. He took a deep breath and sighed. How exactly do you explain mental illness to an eleven year old when even adults three times Henry's age didn't understand them? There was no easy answer, but everyone in his kitchen deserved as real an answer he could give. "Mental illnesses don't just go away Henry. There are methods that help, and by using them, a person with an illness can function in everyday life. But there's no one true cure, medical or magical. At the moment I would say that I am as sane as I can be, but I could relapse."

            "But you went crazy when the Queen of Hearts cut off your head and sewed it back on. That's what made you the Mad Hatter right? Wasn't it magic that made you crazy? Can't it be undone?" Henry asked.

            "There are people that would argue that I was never completely sane," Jefferson said with a shrug. "But remember Henry, there is no cure for madness. Even those who were cursed with madness and had it reversed, are never completely right again. And it was the act of having my head cut off and then reattached that pushed me over the edge, no magic involved."

            "Oh," Henry said crestfallen. Jefferson smiled softly at the kid.

            "Don't be sad kid, since you and your mom broke the curse, I've been feeling better. And I'm going to get help."

            "You are?" David asked with relieved surprise.

            "Yes I am," Jefferson replied with a nod at the prince. "I'd like to say that I can handle this on my own, but I think everyone in the community would feel better if I started seeing Archie."

            David got a mulish look on his face at that. Jefferson didn't know the man well, but he could swear that the man was cursing a blue streak in his head.

            "Forget the community," David finally snapped. "Think about what's best for you, and for Grace."

            Jefferson couldn't help smiling at that. David was a good man, who cared about those around him, and that in turn made him a good leader, able to understand the need of his people.

            "Thank you for your concern David, but I am thinking about what's best for both us. I'll get treatment so that I can take care of Grace, having those who know of my reputation see me trying, is just an added bonus," Jefferson assured his friend.

            David nodded in response, and then paused in thought.

            "Your reputation?"

            "I'm a portal jumper remember? I went around finding things for those who would pay. Some of the things I've done on the job have been questionable. There are those in town who know of me, and what I used to do. Not everyone will be as accepting as you are," Jefferson replied. "The Blue Fairy for one."

            "What did you do to her?" David asked incredulously.

            Jefferson sighed, "Absolutely nothing, it's more who I worked for most often, and what I was helping him do."

            "Who-?" David started to ask, then paused. "Wait, let me guess. Rumplestiltskin?"

            "How'd you guess?" Jefferson asked sarcastically.

            "Because it's the kind of thing he'd do. And he's probably the only one who could continuously pay the enormous price you likely charged your clients. What were you helping him do?"

            "Well, I wasn't actively helping him in his mission. It was more like he'd send me out to find objects, artifacts, books and more of a specific nature."

            "And that nature would be?"

            "Finding a way in to _this_ world."

            "What?!" Both David and Henry exclaimed.

            "But, why?" Henry asked.

            "I honestly couldn't tell you, but in all the time I worked for him, I was always looking for objects that might help him get here, to the Land Without Magic. I couldn't bring him in my hat, because for one I wouldn't be able to leave without him, and I don't trust the man as far as I can throw him, and the feeling is mutual. And another reason, the hat needs magic to work, and lots of it. Despite the title we've given it, this world actually has magic, it's just very different from the magics of the Forest and the other worlds that my hat goes to. Well that's what I'm assuming anyway, I don't actually know, but this world has too many stories of magic and mythic creatures for magic to not exist at all. We're storybook characters to them. Granted there are many versions of those tales, but they exist. There are some in this world that are still trying to prove that King Arthur actually existed along with Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. Magic is here, but it was dormant until now. It's similar to Whale's world, which doesn't have any active magic users, but it's the world where Dracula lives, so it definitely has active magic. Anyway, for some reason, Gold desperately wants to be here, in this world specifically. That's why he allowed himself to be pulled here when Regina's curse hit," Jefferson explained.

            "Allowed himself?" David asked.

            "Rumplestiltskin is, or was, very powerful, do you really think, that if he didn't want to be here, he wouldn't have found a way around the curse? The Queen of Hearts isn't here, and Regina hates her for some reason, even more than she hates me," Jefferson replied.

            David looked like he wanted to ask more, but shook his head instead.

            "Worrying about Rumplestilskin's schemes is a headache for later. Right now, I have one more question for you Jefferson," David said, leaning back in his chair.

            "What is it?" Jefferson asked, dread filling his stomach

            "What did you do to make Regina hate you this much?" the prince asked, and Jefferson winced. Not seeing this, David continued. "I mean, she sought you out so she could use your hat to go to Wonderland, a place you coincidentally hate, to retrieve someone, trapping you there with another magically powerful queen that she has some kind of grudge against, where you get your head chopped off and sewn back on, condemning you to madness, and all the while making you live with the fact that you left your daughter all alone. And she then pulls you specifically from Wonderland, no one else, just you, to live in Storybrooke where you remember not only your real life, but also the life she gave you here. And then tortures you with offers to give you back your daughter. Seriously. What did you do her? I mean, Regina cast this curse on the whole of the Enchanted Forest, but the worst fates were given to those she really held a grudge against. Hell, this whole curse is because of a grudge that Regina has held against Snow since...she was...a child..." David trailed off suddenly, and looked intently at Jefferson. He sucked in a breath at the immense guilt on Jefferson's face. "Jefferson. What. Did. You. Do?"

            Jefferson sighed, this wasn't going to be easy, but he knew where to start.

            "Have you figured out who Dr. Whale is yet?" Jefferson asked. David was startled at the sudden question. He exchanged a confused look with Henry.

            "No, I haven't. Why? Who is he?"

            "Let me give you a hint, his first name is Victor, and he was still a doctor before the curse."

            David thought for a moment, "Doctor Victor-!" the prince's head snapped up, as the name and title, and what Jefferson had said about 'Whale's world' suddenly clicked. "Frankenstein?! Dr. Victor von Frankenstein?!" He asked incredulously. Jefferson nodded.

            "Yes, Dr. Whale is Dr. Frankenstein," he confirmed.

            "No wonder I didn't recognize him," David muttered. "But what does that have to do with you and Regina?"

            "Think about it for a moment," Jefferson said. "What do Whale and I have in common?"

            Henry got it immediately.

            "He's not from the Enchanted Forest! And you were in Wonderland when the curse hit!"

            "You got it kid," Jefferson said.

            "So what is it about the two of you that Regina dragged the both of you from different worlds to Storybrooke? Whale didn't have his memories the whole time, right?"

            "No, he didn't. He'd be a worse drunk than he is now if that was the case. I got the worse punishment because I helped plan the damn thing."

            "Plan what, Jefferson?" David asked.

            "I was still working for Gold when I first met Regina. She was already married to Snow's father, but they hadn't been married long. She had just started learning magic from Rumplestiltskin, and was still 'Good'. I had just come back from a trip to Oz and had gone to his castle to receive payment for what I had retrieved for him. I interrupted a lesson that wasn't going well. He dismissed Regina, as I was getting my payment. This is when I implemented the scheme that Gold had told me about, before I went to Oz, to make Regina more open to his teachings," Jefferson paused to glance at his audience, and took in David's disapproving frown. "Now you have to know that this was before I met and married Mary Ann, which is when I began turning over a new leaf, it doesn't excuse what I did, but there's the facts. Apparently, Regina was struggling with certain tasks that Gold set to her, what tasks I didn't know, but I can guess, and was focused on one thing and one thing only. How to bring back the dead," Jefferson paused again at David's sudden intake of breath. "I take it you know who she wanted to revive."

            David nodded.

            "Yeah, I do. His name was Daniel, and he was Regina's true love. Regina's mother, Cora, a powerful and ambitious woman, killed him."

            "Why?" Henry asked.

            "I only know bits and pieces, but apparently, Cora wanted Regina to do what she couldn't, become queen," David began. "And to do that she made Snow White's horse lose control on the Royal Progress her father was making to find a new wife. Regina saved Snow, and the King decided that he would marry Regina. But Regina was in love with Daniel, the stable boy, so they decided to run away and elope. Snow, who was only about 10, found out, but when she heard Regina's reasons for running, promised not to tell. The next day, Cora manipulated Snow into telling her everything, and that night she ripped out Daniel's heart and crushed it in front of Regina. Snow confessed when she found out that Regina hadn't run. Regina lied to Snow, and told her that Daniel had left her, sparing Snow the guilt of knowing that she was an accomplice to murder. It was the last truly kind thing that Regina ever did for her. From that moment on, she was plotting Snow's demise."

            "Wow," Jefferson said, shocked. "I did not know any of that, no wonder Regina was so intent on reviving the dead."

            "Was it really Mary Margaret's fault that Daniel died?" Henry asked. David sighed.

            "Not really," David said, scratching the back of his neck. "I think Cora was probably planning on killing Daniel anyway, because there's no way she didn't know about him. Even if they hadn't planned on eloping, I'm sure he wouldn't have lasted long past the wedding; Cora probably wouldn't have let anything endanger Regina's position as queen. Snow just sped the process up."

            "Daniel's death probably would've been much worse if they'd actually managed to get away," Jefferson speculated.

            "Probably," David agreed. He then focused on Jefferson. "Now explain what Daniel, and Whale, have to do with Regina hating you."

            Jefferson sighed again. He'd almost escaped the subject.

            "Gold had learned of Victor, and his experiments, beforehand, and had me pass the information along to Regina. That he could bring back the dead. I didn't know much about Whale, I just knew of him as a wizard of sorts, a wizard that used strange magic. I didn't know what science was back then," Jefferson explained when he saw the raised eyebrows. The others nodded so Jefferson continued. "I promised to bring him to Regina, if she gave me a Royal Writ of Passage that would allow me to go anywhere in her lands as long as I wanted. She agreed, so I went to Whale's land to get him. Gold had some how gotten there before and set up a deal with him. If he did this one favor, Gold would give him a Heart to experiment with."

            "You mean the magic kind, the kind that anyone with magic can rip out of a person's chest to control them?" David asked. Jefferson nodded.

            "Exactly that kind. I brought Whale to our land and took him to meet Regina. Whale told her of his experiment, that putting one of these magic hearts, doesn't matter whose, into the chest of a dead person, could bring them back to life. He just needed a heart, which Regina provided. Don't ask," he said, holding up a hand when everyone's mouths opened. "You do not want know where she got it. Trust me, it was very disturbing," when the others closed their mouths, Jefferson nodded and continued. "We retrieved a heart, and, because there was a storm, conducted the experiment that night. Whale set up a tent to conduct the experiment, and had Regina and I stand well back. Partly so that we wouldn't get struck by lightning, or interfere, and partly to perform the trick that Gold had planned."

            "Wait," Grace suddenly piped up. Jefferson looked down at her. "What about Daniel's body? Wouldn't it be all gross and decayed?"

            "It would've been if not for the stasis spell that Regina placed on it. She had him entombed in a glass coffin in her private chambers in the castle," Jefferson answered.

            "Oh," Grace said with a slightly horrified expression. Jefferson chuckled a bit.

            "So what was the trick?" Henry asked.

            "Victor only made it look like he shoved the heart in Daniel's chest. Because of how far away we were and the shadows on the tent wall, it looked very much like he had put the heart in. He used science and electricity to make the body twitch and look like it was going to work, but then there was some kind of explosion, and Victor came out, pretending to be disappointed. Regina buried Daniel's body again, and that was that. My next instructions from Rumplestiltskin were to wait until he was sure the 'lesson' had taken before taking Victor home. When the scheme proved successful, Gold had me pay Victor with the heart he 'used' in the experiment, and take the man home. That was the last time I saw Whale until after the curse hit. I don't know how Regina found out about the whole thing, but she did, and she punished the both of us, me most of all for my very active role in the whole thing."

            "But what about Rumplestiltskin?" David asked. "He was the one who came up with the plan, and was the one who taught her dark magic. What did she do to him?"

            "Well she thought that she had taken his memories with everyone else's, but he was just playing her. I know this because it's Rumplestiltskin, and because he asked about Grace whenever he saw me in town," Jefferson explained. "But what she really did to him is take, and keep, _his_ true love from him."

            "The Dark One has a true love?" Henry asked.

            "Well, everyone has a true love, Henry, it just isn't all that often that you find them," David explained. "I was lucky, finding your grandmother."

            "David's right," Jefferson said with a nod. "Everyone has a true love, and Rumpestiltskin's is a lovely young woman named Belle."

            "Like _Beauty and the Beast_?" Grace asked.

            "Yep," Jefferson answered. "She was the Beauty to his Beast. I only met her once or twice, because she arrived at his castle around the time I stopped working for him, right before your mom died. I don't know the whole story, but she was his servant for a long time, and they fell in love. Something happened and he kicked her out. I heard about a few of her adventures, but then came rumor that she had died. I was trapped in Wonderland not long after I heard that story. I thought she was dead, until we came here. I spent 28 years wandering around this place, snooping. And about halfway through that time, I learned of a patient in the mentally ill ward in the hospital. A beautiful young girl, with auburn hair, and no memories at all. No name either. Put there on the Mayor's orders."

            "You thought it was Belle," David guessed.

            "Right again," Jefferson said. "I was sure it was her, and I confirmed it when I released her."

            "You did what?" David asked.

            "I let her go," Jefferson said simply. He sighed and explained at the startled looks he was receiving. "It was right after I retrieved the cursed apple for Regina. I was royally pissed, and I wasn't going to take her backstabbing me lying down. I dressed in scrubs, broke into the key pass door that led to the mentally ill ward, and gave the nurse on duty some sedative spiked tea. I then stole the keys and went to find the room the girl was in. I found it, let her out, gave her a coat, escorted her out and pointed her towards Gold's, told her to tell him that Regina had locked her up. I figured that giving the Dark One reason to take revenge on the Evil Queen would be enough revenge for me. I realize now just what I've unleashed, I'm still not sorry I did it, Belle is a very bright and kind woman, she didn't deserve to be locked up like an animal, and she would've told him the truth anyway. So I didn't actually cause too much damage."

            "Well, that's good," David, said. "What's done is done, and I think we've talked enough for tonight. What time is it anyway?"

            Jefferson pulled out his pocket watch and checked it.

            "Almost midnight."

            "I think it's definitely time we all went to bed," David said getting up. "I am not looking forward to driving back to town."

            "Stay here," Jefferson offered. He shrugged when David looked at him in surprise. "I told you before that I was going to offer. You're too tired to drive back, and we're all exhausted anyway. Besides, it's Friday, you don't need to have Henry back in time to catch the bus. Spend the night and Grace and I will come into town with you tomorrow."

            "Sounds good to me," Henry said with a yawn. Jefferson smiled at him.

            "Come on," Jefferson said, lifting Grace from his lap before standing up himself. "I'll show you to the guest rooms."

            And with that, the small group headed up the stairs. David and Henry were shown their rooms, and Jefferson gave Grace a kiss on the forehead before retiring to his own room. The exhaustion of the day caught up with him, and he was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

 


End file.
